Wicked Continued
by amidola
Summary: Musicalverse.We pick up approximately one year from where the musical left off.This is gonna be a little longer.It's a bird,it's a plane,it's a Gelphie,btw. :- Enjoy! I.do.not.own.anything, like songs or main characters.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:**I own nothing, that's not quite true,but I do not own the main characters of this tale. They belong to their respective owners, Universal Music,most of all, do believe. I do not own the songs and lyrics quoted herein.I intend no copyright infringement of any kind.

**A/N:**This is a sequel to the Musical.I have read none of the books,by intention. The ending of the musical,in my humble opinion, was left rather open and its ghosts have not let me rest before I did not send them out into the world again.

I am not too firm in the original Wizard of Oz stuff..I can't even remember how old I was when saw the movie and it is not part of the popular culture of my country.

Moreover this is a tale of love (some might think Angst;-),in its own way, in whatever form..so if there are some kinds that make you uncomfortable..jump over your shadow,cause you're missing out on a lot of life:-)

This is unbetaed.I am truly sorry for this and this story will not be as perfect as the nagging little perfectionist in me might crave it to be, but then if I waited even longer,I guess it would never get published,and well, I do hope from my heart of hearts,that you will enjoy the read and the journey our heroes are about to take,nonetheless.

But enough of the preamble,here 's the real introduction:

**Chapter 1**

Darkness began pushing the last hues of pink and purple out of the previously brilliant sky.

Elphaba sighed at the light's demise as she tried to rethread the needle of her sewing wheel.

Not finding a match in sight for the candle resting at the edge of her table,she mumbled a few,rushed words and a small flickering light traveled through the air with an adept flick of her fingers.

„Romaine!" Fiyero bellowed behind her.

With a quick whirl,she spun around.

The scarecrow placed a hand on her shoulder looking at her imploringly.

„Elpha.."he whispered.."if anyone sees you..and in front of the children,too.."

Her eyes followed his to the small crib at the end of the room.

Two infants were lying in it..resting peacefully side by side.

„They're too small, Fie.."

„Shhtt..."

„Baldazar.."

Her eyes had a look of the most utter and complete sadness to them when they met his.

„No one must know..and no one knows when anyone .." he quickly kissed her in apology.

One of the little girls began to whimper in her sleep.

Elphaba quickly strode over to the small wooden structure and lifted her into her arms.

„Shhht..shhht.."

_„Nessa,oh Nessa..you're so beautiful.."_ she started singing to her little girl on a high note but quickly changed into a more melodic song.

_„Let's go down to the Ozdust Ballroom_  
_we'll meet there later tonight_  
_we can dance till it lights_  
_find the prettiest girl..._  
_give her a whirl_  
_right on down to the Ozdust Ballroom_  
_come on, follow me_  
_you'll be happy to be there... „_

Fieyro looked at her from across the room as she danced with their tiny daughter in her arms.

A tear stole itself over his cotton cheek.

Quickly becoming nothing but a mark on the cloth.

„Please..don't say Oz..they might.."but his voice was hardly loud enough for himself to hear.

Elphaba had danced over to him and quickly deposited the smiling infant in his arms.

He carefully adjusted the little girl against his arms and chest, being mindful that his straws would not poke at her sensitive skin.

With a couple of quick strides Elphaba was over at the crib again and quickly drew her other little girl to her.

She had woken up, crooning and gagaing and begging to be picked up and taken dancing as well with her little outstretched arms.

Elphaba gave her the most beautiful smile as she held the little girl with the tuft of blond hair highly up into the air.

„_Popular...you're going to be popular.."_ she started to sing.

Fiyero danced along with his half of their children.

But the sadness in his eyes was not betrayed by his smile.

...

Everyone had left the party.

_Finally._

Glinda carefully ridded herself of her tiara as she strode towards her room.

Without their constraints,her curls fell freely around her pretty face.

Deep lines began showing in her face,as she allowed her features to relax out of that everpresent smile she had learned to wear as consistently and faithfully as her higheels.

Thinking of her shoes,she stopped for a brief moment to slip out of them in that neverending maze of corridors in that huge castle of hers.

Holding onto them with one hand and to her tiara and cepter with the other,she kept on treading the worn carpets soundlessly.

Gratefully, the young ruler of Oz noticed the feeling returning to her toes with each step.

Honestly, Glinda could not remember the amount of people she had danced with tonight.

So many young men,so many smells,perfumes and sweats...

Breaths against her neck and face..suggestive of more..asking for an invitation to these endless halls...

But she had not cared..not in the least..not enough to remember their names..their faces..their clothes even.

All that time, with a dazzling smile painted artfully on her glowing face..with the stars twinkling in them like a pair of ballroom lights switched on and off at will..

Glinda's eyes,as if they had a will of their own, had kept a guarded lookout out of their corners.

For something green.

So,as she had been spun around,again,and again,as her toes had been trodden upon, quick apologies coughed against her ear,bodies pressed themselves to hers..

Her eyes had sought out..something..anything..over shoulders, beyond heads and impossible hairdos..anything..that might have..

She drew her hand quickly back up to her forehead, rubbing at the painful thoughts there.

Suddenly a shadow unglued itself from the darkness of the ceiling.

„Ma-dam.." Chistery looked at her,studying her closely as he tried to take her shoes from her.

„No,Chis..I can carry them myself..you don't have to..actually not do anything.." Glinda leaned heavily against the wall..surrendering her tiara to the monkey.

„You're not my servant,Chis..you know that..and you know that Elphaba"the name still hurt „wouldn't want you to."

„Bu-ut she would no-ot.." he still had trouble speaking,and Glinda wasn't too optimistic that she would ever have a full blown conversation with him.

„She wou-old no-ot.." he collected himself.

„Want Mada-am Gli-nda.." he paused,taking the shoes from her,"be-e by herse-elf."

Glinda surrendered her weight to the wall behind her completely.

She quickly sunk down into a heap,resting her head on her knees,and began to cry.

Again.

And as usual,she made the same request to her sole companion.

„_Chistery,"_ she whispered through her tears,"_please see to it,that no one will come by.."_

With these words,the monkey quickly left her,while she kept crying onto the soft carpeting of her quiet and beautiful castle.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:**Struggling with the Documentmanager in the previous chapter, sorry. It managed to swallow words.

What I meant to say: I own the main characters of the Ozworld and especially not any song lyrics. Universal ,it's all yours.

When night had finally fully settled upon the countryside,Elphaba returned her gaze from the dark hills that lay silent in the lonesome east.

„See anything?" Fieryo gave up squinting at the newspaper in the flickering candlelight.

„No..nothing.." she exhaled with a sigh.

„Well, no news is good news,right?" he tried to smile up at her.

But Elphaba remained frozen by the stony window.

„Yes..I guess.." with a deep sigh she returned her gaze upon the hills as though they could tell her the news better than any written word.

Her eyes pierced the darkness while her ears strained..and strained..for a sound,just beyond..beyond..

„Ah,here's news!"

Fieryo interrupted her stretching herself out into the night.

„What is it?" Elphaba carefully reigned in her growing exasperation.

„Looks like the school system in Oz has been reinstating teachers." Fieryo finally managed to garner her full attention.

„What kind of teachers?" the green skinned woman's voice was almost turned to a whisper.

„Any teachers." Fieryo turned the page over on his lap.

„What do you mean any teachers?" this time Elphaba was incapable to keep her growing impatience out of her voice.

„Everybody..well.." he evened out his voice to quote the article at her.

„_As of today, anybody who will learn to dance, shall do so!Regardless of .. it fur,be it skin,be it anything akin.. And who shall teach the multitudes,but those who learn!So anyone who shall wish to teach, be it human,non-human,leech..just anyone who dares to reach! Up High to the honors of that dear old Shiz! Is in the Biz!_

_And be it dancing, writing,reading,history even, whatever you shall teach or be..is not up to anyone anymore,not even me!_

_Glinda,the good that is,that has decreed that Dear Old Shiz is,the newest and oldest place to meet!_

_Everyone shall read and write,study and fight and celebrate together!From now on!"_

He shook his head at the page which featured an elaborate picture of Glinda.

He smiled his crooked scarecrow smile.

„Typical.."

Elphaba however remained near the started into her was incapable to say anything.

„They even have a new picture of her!" Fieryo,musingly turned the newspaper over to read the next article.

„Wait!" Her green hand quickly spread itself over the page to prevent it from turning.

As if burned, she quickly withdrew it from the picture it had alighted upon.

„She is smiling, as always." Fieryo stated somberly.

„Not with her eyes." Elphaba quickly drew back her reaching fingers that had given in to a will of their own.

This time, Fieryo caught the movement, however.

He slowly turned towards Elphaba, realization dawning on him.

„You're homesick." he stated bluntly. His eyes searching out hers.

„Yes." Elphaba hesitated only briefly before answering.

Her eyes quickly traveled back to the small candle still burning on the table.

It had not shrunk from the hours of burning, and as of yet, Fieryo had not noticed that small bit of moneysaving magic, or ignored it intentionally.

„You're more than homesick.." his voice had grown soft.

There were a few strands of silver mixed into her otherwise flawless black hair.

„Yes."

There hadn't been when they had left Oz..he had paid attention..and there hadn't been then.

„You miss her.."

His voice was very quiet..but to Elphaba it seemed as loud as the rolling thunder that sometimes came over from the hills.

A silent tear loosened itself from its green orbed confines, and ate its way through a sheet of carefully applied makeup.

„Yes."

Fieryo could hear the tears in her voice more than he could see them.

The wood protested as he leaned back into the rocking chair he was sitting in.

His eyes left the back of his green skinned beauty's head and journeyed over to his two incredibly beautiful little baby girls.

How one of them had turned out blond of all things was anyone's guess,

Elphaba was as dark as her otherwise greenness allowed her to be, and he himself didn't even have a light haired cousin to the third or second degree.

But there she was..blonde..blue eyed..Galinda.

He had wanted to leave the past behind, move on, start a new life..but this time..Elphaba had been insistent on the child's name.

Nessa and Galinda.

She had named them both.

A small smile broke around his features..as always when he was thinking about is daughters..but as always as he was thinking about them, a shadow soon passed over his brow.

He saw them smile up at him..saw their little blue eyes twinkle in delight..and if there was anyone who knew that their children were too small to know who they,he and Elphaba, were,too small to recognize the magic, the green skin..the straw..

It was him.

Fieryo dreaded with each passing day the moment they would look at him in horror and see him for what he was.

A Scarecrow.

He worked in the fields as befitted him.

Few people, all of them unfond of speaking..too tired to gossip.

He had told his boss that he had suffered severe burns, ugly and wet wounds in a terrible, terrible accident not long ago..and needed the straw to keep the ever reopening injuries dry and soothed and bolstered, while he could show his face no more to mortal man.

He was a good worker, dilligent and kind and helpful..and the people in their little village had become to accept him for who he was.

They saw his beautiful wife, his darling children..and were more than quick to forgive his visual shortcomings.

But Fieryo knew..glancing at Elphaba, who he had actually never had a chance to marry, he knew the curiosity of people, and how in the end, they would want to see him..and that he,..they would have to leave.

Again.

He wrested his hands, as he could feel Elphaba rmove over to the window and reach out into the night again, silently crying and reaching..reaching.

Another tear loosened itself from his eyes.

His baby girls.

They would come to recognize him..fear him..maybe even, with a small miracle..he glanced at Elphaba again, accept him..

They would move..and move again..and again..

And they would grow up eventually..far..far from home.

Oz grant them as much of normalcy as they could afford..

They might even grow up to go to school and marry.

His eyes returned to Elphaba who still had her back turned to him.

His hair had not turned silver.

He had no hair that could change with age.

But he had also noticed, how he could work longer than the young men, even though he was older.

How the scythe, uncarefully wielded did not harm him..how..

No spell could be undone.

Fieryo knew that he would not only see his daughters grow up and their mother grow old..but he would see them all die.

„Dust is what we come to...  
nothing matters  
but knowing nothing matters  
It's just..  
life .."

He sang soundlessly to himself..

But there lay the rub..he knew that he, of all people, he..would not turn to dust..while everyone else would..and therefore everything mattered.

Everything.

These days..his children..their beautiful mother..they would only be glimpses in the eternity he had to face..alone.

And every day..every song and every dance spent with them..only ingrained them deeper upon his heart.

A heart that needed hardening for the centuries to come.

But Fieryo couldn't help himself..every since he had begun that thinking thing..ever since he had heard his firstborn announce her presence to the world, he couldn't help himself.

Just as he couldn't help himself notice the faraway look in his non-wife's eyes, as she searched the Eastern Skies.


	3. Chapter 3

The day was just about to break again.

The greyness of the sky held the promise and beauty of a new day.

Glinda had but slept a few hours,but she knew,that this was the only time of the day,when she could traverse the city unseen.

There was no gravestone in the Ozian graveyard.

There had been no remains and no stone marked the existence of the „Wicked Witch".

„Let us erase her from history" she had said herself.

„There is no one to mourn her..and the greates evil done to the evil is done by forgetting them."

She couldn't have borne the slander scribbled on the stone,she couldn't have endured the chipping away and ridicule of a statue..

Instead,Glinda had chosen a tiny spot for her,one where she went to put a flower for her..every morning.

Before the castle would awaken,the town start to stir..before duty would call her back into her dress and role.

A small,white lily would find its way onto an unmarked spot,near to where Elphaba's mother was buried..but not near enough to raise suspicion.

„You'll be with me..like a handprint on my heart.."Glinda sang quietly while putting down the flower.

Afterwards her hand traveled to rest over her left breast.

Like a comet pulled from orbit..as it passes a sun.."

She began to cry again.

Quickly wiping at her tears,she turned around to meet the morning by herself ,before anyone else did.

„..no one mourns the wicked.." she angrily whispered to herself as her beslippered feet hurried over the gravelly pavement back to the gilded doors of her bejeweled home.


	4. Chapter 4

Elphaba quietly stole out of their bedroom to watch over her sleeping children.

Sleep had not been a welcome guest in her house in the past few months.

The occurrences of the past year had made a lasting impression upon her subconscious..and dreams of her old home, the Ozdustallroom, even the small chamber she had shared with Glinda at Shiz..always ended in mayhem and misery.

Bathed in sweat she would wake.

At first, as always, and she kept it there for that sole reason, her eyes would fall onto her trusted, old, bewitched broom.

It filled her with a sense of freedom, of abandon and joy.

And great relief.

But then..one by one..as though cuffs would close around her ankles and wrists..and finally her chest.

She felt a stifling sensation of loneliness settle upon her..and then dread.

Elphaba dreaded the heavy layer of make up she put on every day.

It extinguished the cherished fire in her, that spoke of magic and great things, unimaginable freedom, great responsibility..and the unbelievable rush of flying-defying gravity and everyone else.

She heard Fieyro rustle in his sleep beside her.

But instead of providing comfort, as it had for so many nights, she felt shackled to her life of forced mediocrity even further.

Yes, Elphaba had been green all of her life.

She had been defied, reviled and set apart...but always, always, she had been SOMEONE.

Maybe she had been feared and hated..but she had been..and now..she wasn't.

Anything.

Controlling her powers had always been hard..even before they had been nurtured, taught, directed.

Now, even though she was capable of guiding them, using them, they had in the end become such an integral, essential part of herself, it was necessary for her to stifle herself, her temper, her person, just to not do magic by accident.

Sometimes, Elphaba almost wished, almost, that she weren't impervious to water.

Her life now, her future...

It was so bleak..

And she kept feeling, that every day, with the thickness of her white make up, she erased herself off of the earth bit by bit.

She also felt Fieyro's constant fear..it was almost as though he wished her to cease to be..

Not to die..but to never have existed.

She felt the weight, of the obliteration of herself almost physically on her shoulders.

But then, there were the girls.

They needed her with a constant primal desire, loved her, demanded her, and put all the light and love into her days.

She could see a flame flicker in Fieyro's eyes then..could see the old fire of the young man that had dashingly rescued her and abandoned everything for her and only her sake.

He had been more than willing to die for her.

But he could not bear eternity.

Elphaba's gaze settled upon the young man of straw.

„Life is painless for the brainless"..he had sung, back then..

And as much as he took her freedom from her..with every whispered reprimand, new rule and hush..

She knew in her heart what she had taken from him.

„Let him never die, let him never die.."

It had been rash, foolish even..

She had been desperate.

And now she was watching a young man damned to eternal life, die a little more each day.

„No Good Deed goes Unpunished.." she mumbled to herself.

It was a pattern, a curse even...

The curse thrust upon, her the cursing one..the famous „Wicked Witch of the West".

Maybe that was the true curse of her emerald green skin.

Maybe it deserved obliteration.

She brushed her long black hair over her shoulder before she reached down to pick up her oldest, Nessa, whose brow had furrowed at the visions her dream was throwing at her.

„Tush,tush.."she thought involuntarily, as she always did when performing the gesture.

She silently rolled her eyes at herself.

„Impossible..Glinda..you were simply _impossible.." _she thought to herself, while shaking her head with a sad smile.

And then she felt it.

The wind had changed.


	5. Chapter 5

„I Will NOT stand for it!"

„But Miss Glinda.." the old man with the carefully trimmed mustache threw a glance at the adamant ruler of his homeland from under his bow.

Gnashing his teeth,he reigned in his anger and returned his gaze to study the plush carpet of the castle in depth.

„But Miss Glinda..you must understand.." he carefully trained his voice to whine, evoke compassion, for that was the only way to get to „The Good" : her gentle and joyous heart.

He would have liked to shout at her,set matters straight,but the moody blonde would probably only have left him to his own designs in a huff.

„_Women.."_ he thought to himself angrily.."_they are no rulers of countries..just as little as.."_

„My horses are no teachers!"

"They are mine!" He whined loud enough for half the palace to hear.

„I bought them..fair and square.I even have the papers...look..!" he quickly procured a batch of half-torn documents from his vest.

„Dearest Sir!" Glinda took both of his hands uprighting him.

There was no trace left of her earlier outburst.

The sweetest of smiles played around her lips, dazzling him so he could not see the sternness in her eyes.

„If they wish to teach, to talk, to preach! Let them! Surely, no amount of money could have equaled the pleasure, the duty and labor ,the creatures have delivered onto you up to now?"

With a graceful swipe of her hand the paper fell to the floor as if by accident.

She placed a hand on the man's back and gently guided him towards the door.

He could not refuse the smile and that voice..but the nagging voice in the back of his mind persisted.

„But...But...but.." there it was.."They are animals!"

„I will not stand for having my sons and daughter taught by some mares who previously pulled the family plow!"

His face had reddened considerably.

„But dear Sir," Glinda's voice was high and sweet.

„Then you must agree, by necessity, that it was a pity in the first place, that they were forced to pull it, no?"

Before he could sputter his return, they were by the door, and Glinda, ever so kindly, pushed him outside.

With a „Decreed is decreed, agreed?" that she sang sweetly after him, she shut the door quickly.

„Chistery?"

Her voice had settled back into its lower timbre.

With a thud, the monkey landed on her windowsill and let himself into the room.

„Ha-a-appy.." but his eyes were clouded.

„Most of them." He concluded in an almost whisper.

„A-almost all of them." He continued.

Glinda leaned back against her desk, steadying herself with both hands.

„But?"

Chistery's eyes were full of worry as he looked up at her.

And that told her more than a hundred, words no matter how well articulated they might have been.


	6. Chapter 6

„Dearest Madame Glinda.."

Her old maid pulled at the strings of her corset, a scolding was imminent, the blonde witch could almost feel it.

„Yes, Mem..." she started tiredly.

„Look at you!" there it was.

„_Blythe smile, lithe limb_

_she who's winsome,_

_she wins him,_

_gold hair with a gentle curl,_

_that's the girl he'd choose..."_

_But you're not that girl.!"_

Glinda sighed audibly.

„Oh my...Mem...!" she protested back at the woman who literally knew her since birth.

„Galinda, you were such a pretty little thing. made for the rose and the pearl..brought up to marry a charming young prince...and now look at you!"

„All wrapped up in that government business.." she pulled hard at another string to her corset, unneccesarily.

„And nothing but flesh and bone!" Galinda had foreseen that particular lecture.

She just hadn't anticipated the Prince Charming aspect to play into it.

Again.

„What dashing young man will want to marry you like this?" Glinda could see the old woman's eyebrows work in concentration over her shoulder in the mirror.

„I'll have to trim something away from here..again..this side..a little bit right here.." she tucked in a pin, almost grazing the skin..but not quite..the sudden feel of the metal against her flesh made the young ruler of Oz nervous anyways.

„And here.." again the unwelcome sensation.

„Mem!" Glinda started batting away at her..

„Not now..I have business to attend to.." she berated the older woman impatiently.

„Busines.. business.." she mumbled behind her back..Tying the corset up, finally.

„The only business you should be attending to is finding yourself a nice husband.." Mem kept on murmuring to herself..but careful to be loud enough to be heard.

Glinda rolled her eyes.

„Meeheem.."

„Yes, a husband and children..that is a young woman's business..and not state affairs.." the old woman raised her hands, before she helped her protegé into her sparkling light blue dress.

Glinda, finally fully dressed took the old woman's face in between her two hands and kissed her sweetly on the forehead..

„I know" she said, smiling sweetly,a mischievous twinkle in her eyes.

„And we must agree to disagree I'm afraid."

With that she already rushed out the door, grateful, that Mem's failing eyesight had not picked up on the deep lines beneath her eyes.

Glinda now spent all of her nights perusing the Grimmerie.

She could feel a shift of power, not in her favor..and knew, that once her charms had worn out..it would be time for some real magic.

„Eat!" Mem's command echoed after her in the long hallways.


	7. Chapter 7

„Fieryo..Fieyro!.."

Elphaba's voice was a harsh whisper in the dark.

„What?" the scarecrow struggled with sleep,before his eyes snapped wide open.

„Is it the kids?" his gaze was empty.

Part of his mind was still trapped in unconsciousness..but instinct let panic sicker in around the edges.

„The kids are alright." Elphaba coulnd't help but smile at the immediate parental autopilot both of them would start up with from a near comatose state.

„It's..it's...I have to leave.."

That managed to raise the Scarecrow fully.

„Leave? What? Elpha..What?" Fieryo righted himself up.

He rubbed at his eyes, willing sleep to leave him wholly.

He was missing something here.

„Where do you want to go? Are we out of bread?"

But there was a fire in the dark witch's eyes that spoke of paths longer than those necessary for procuring food.

„Fieryo.." she gently placed a hand on his stubbly cheek.

„I have to leave."

„Why?" Fieryo's mouth was suddenly dry.

He had anticipated this..every day he had.

He had held onto her in the night..tightly..too tightly, lest she slip away.

„You could come with me..."but Elphaba knew the answer to her offer even before she had asked it.

He was too earthbound...too limited...he would never dare to fly.

In any manner.

Fieryo knew it, too.

The sadness in his eyes began to show.

„I..I can't" he answered quietly.

A walking and talking scarecrow..Elphaba could mask her skin, her name even..but there simply was no way for him to hide himself.

People would know immediately who he was, just a look, a glance, a word.

„Elphaba.." he was whispering now.

„Don't...don't go.."

And there it was again..

That flicker.

And Fieryo knew, that he had lost.

„What..what about the children?" He averted his eyes.

He simply couldn't bear the answer to that and the look on Elphaba's face.

But it was silence that greeted him.

The green witch got up wordlessly and went into the other room.

There she sat herself into the favorite piece of furniture in the whole of the little apartment.

The rocking chair that faced the cribs.

And she began to rock.

By herself.

Until morning broke all around them.


	8. Chapter 8

He had lain awake for the longest time, before he had dared to get up.

Elphaba still sat in the rocking chair, which's slight creaking betrayed its gentle movement.

Fieryo leaned against the doorframe.

The straw bristled freely on his shirtless torso.

As he had done so many times before, he studied Elphaba's back of her head.

This morning was the first time, however, that he noticed that the reason for him doing so lay in the fact that she was always looking away from him.

She did not do so by intention, but her gaze would always rest elsewhere.

On the children, on the sky, on her needle..

Just not on him.

Now , that she had said, that she would leave, he could finally admit it to himself.

It was the knowledge that was hard to bear.

„I can't leave them.." Elphaba had not turned around..but with the gentle flickering of the dying fire he could hear her softened voice across the room.

„Of course not.." Fieryo wondered if he would have the strength to bear what was to come now.

„I..."

„No you won't.." there was a sudden glimmer of steel in his voice that she had not heard there before.

„But.." the green skinned womna was at a loss.

„You can go wherever you want to Elphaba.." it was the first time, that he had spoken her name, her full name, her real name.

Aloud.

Without fear of being overheard, without hesitancy..in months..the first time since...

„But you cannot take the children with you." His voice had softened at the end, but there was still that eerie sensation of metal to it.

„I..." she hated this.

„I gave birth to them..I nourished them..I am their mother Fieryo..You can't.." but he cut her short.

„And what am I? You know that.."shaking his head at himself, Fieryo put the gentleness back in his voice.

„Elphaba.." he tried to reason with her.

„I am..steady.." he greatest weakness now his greatest strength.

„Do you really want to traverse the lands with two children shackled to you?" he went over to their cribs,and looked at their sleeping features.

„Put them in all sorts of danger.." his ungloved hand stopped short just off Nessa's face.

He didn't want to prick the little girl and wake her accidentally.

But he was suddenly aware of the creaking sound of the chair missing.

Elphaba had stopped rocking.

Frozen.

He had said the word.

Two.

They had two children.

Neither parent could bear the thought..stomach the logical conclusion..make the necessary choice...

But there it was.

Elphaba's eyes traversed to the everpresent window again.

How many months had she been shackled up by now?

How many days?

How many hours?

She knew, that with the new wind from the sea, she could not bear to imprison herself further.

Not for Fieryo's, not for her children's..not for anyone's sake.

She would perish..or grow bitter..and her children with her.

Her eyes were glistening with tears as she rose them to meet Fieryo's waiting ones.

There was nothing in them now, but endless and incredible gentleness..and she knew, that whatever choice she had to make..it was not one for better or for worse...for either one of her little ones..just one of difference.

In one fluid movement, she got up and went to change.


	9. Chapter 9

Elphaba had quickly changed out of her sleeping garb and slipped into her longsleeved, customary black.

Her clothing concealed her green skin almost completely by intention.

That way she only had to layer the hated make up onto her hands and face.

The plain, long cotton skirt and simple button up shirt of the same material were of simple cut and kept nicely in line with the fashion of the local farmwomen.

Fieryo watched her pack a few of their belongings into a knotted cloth, unmoved.

He kept studying her face through the mirror as she carefully applied her make up.

Bit by bit the Elphaba he knew began to disappear and the townswoman, Romaine, his wife, his shy…his quiet and obedient wife emerged.

Her eyes did not meet his while she was intent on obliterating any trace of greenness from her face.

For some reason it pained him more to watch her repeat the gesture on her hands .

Usually Elphaba wore gloves outside, working, or not, but she never dared risk a rip or a tear and repeated the gesture every morning at the crack of dawn with the same unwavering diligence.

A part of Fieryo knew that the reason that Eplhaba was leaving, was not, that he didn't love her enough.

There was no doubt about that.

He had probably loved her from the first day that she had run into his carriage.

He loved her to the point that it hurt him.

Him, who wasn't supposed to be able to feel any pain.

His heart, his unbreakable, unbleeding heart ,broke and bled, ached and wept at the thought of losing her.

But Fieryo also knew, that a part of her was also leaving, because he had begun to also love that other woman.

Romaine.

He had loved her quietness, her shyness, her dedication to work, himself, the children…

And by that he had done Elphaba the greatest of injustices.

It was more of a betrayal than it would have been, had he cheated on her with another, real woman.

And he knew it.

It was that wicked thinking thing again…

That part of him that still loved Elphaba, loved her for her temper, her strangeness, her greenness.

And that part of him, the one that was still human…

Let her go.

As she finished with her make up, succeeding in making her green self disappear wholly, Fieryo knew, that if she had stayed, she would have been just as obliterated as her color, bit by bit, by that other woman, Romaine, with every dab of make up, with every humbly uttered word.

Sadly, it made him also realize, that he was already more of a scarecrow, than she would ever be just a regular woman.

Elphaba reached for her broom.

"You're not going to ride that, are you?"

His voice was suddenly stern.

"Fieryo, … I know how to ride this broom..it is perfectly capable of carrying.." she paused, the realization hurt too much to be uttered aloud.." more than one person..it is perfectly safe" She rolled her eyes.

Of course.

"I don't doubt your flying prowess or your broom.."Fieryo's voice remained insistent.

"But if just one person sees you in the sky….Just for a moment…" he paused to add weight to his words.

"All will be lost."

Elphaba couldn't reason with his logic.

Only she had ever mastered gravity.

Who ever saw her, even guessed her form in the sky..would know immediately, that she was alive.

And back.

Rumors about her did, admittedly, have the nastiest of habits of spreading.

With a heavy sigh, she put the broom back into its corner.

But while her hand still hovered over the inanimate object, she quickly made a decision.

Grabbing it, she swiftly tied up the loose branches to fasten the bag with her belongings to it.

Fieryo appeared behind her soundlessly.

His hands contained a large loaf of fresh bread, goat cheese and a jug of fresh water.

Tears started into Elphaba's eyes, but she quickly accepted both with a sad smile.

"Can't wait to be rid of me, eh?" she tried to lighten the moment with an effort at humor.

But the deep pain in the scarecrow's eyes only made her throat constrict with a similar emotion.

Fieryo wordlessly crushed her to him.

Elphaba dropped her bag and broom to the floor and held onto him as for dear life.

Such as he had been..or at least so she had thought.

She touched her lips to his face..meeting the soft cloth there.

She had gotten used to his soft lips.."They're like a woman's" she had once joked between them, but this moment, she longed for those other lips..the ones that had responded to hers in that fateful night, when he had come with her.

Those that had been undeniably his.

"_Kiss me too fiercely,_

_Hold me too tight.."_

She whispered against his ear.

Tears had begun to catch in her dark lashes and began to gleam like miniature stars in the light of the rising sun.

"I don't.." he paused to look down at himself before wringing a smile out of his unutterably sad face.

"I don't regret anything, Elphaba." He said quietly.

She looked at him, stricken.

"This.." he looked at her, and gently drawing her to himself again, motioned over to their sleeping children with his head, "is more than I ever dared dreamed of."

He leant down to whisper into her ear, while his own tears were now falling freely into her beautiful, silver-lined, black hair.

His voice had turned to a whisper against her cheek.

"I don't ever regret falling under your spell, Elphaba, and I want you to know, that if you should ever wish to return…I'll be right here."

Taking a step back, he clasped her hands to his chest and began to sing softly, so as not to wake the sleeping infants.

"_Say there's no future for us as a pair, and though I may have known…I never cared."_

His voice rose into a sweet and soft falsetto.

"_Just for that moment,_

_As long as you were mine, _

_It turns out, it's over…"_

His voice cracked.

"_Too fast, but that one moment.."_

"_We made it last.."_

"The moonlight is gone."

Elphaba's voice was thick with tears, but her heart was suddenly full of urgency and claustrophobia.

"I know." Fieryo wiped the tears off of his face with the sleeve of his shirt, and bent down to gather up her things.

His eyes caught her sudden, hurried movement.

Elphaba was tying a colorful cloth around her torso.

Fieryo inhaled sharply.

Breathing became suddenly painful as he watched Elphaba cry through her tightly shut lids and haphazardly manouver through their apartment in jerky, awkward movements.

She kept blindly stumbling into their sparse furniture, her hands reaching for the feel of a particular kind of wood.

When she finally made contact with the soft, brushed texture of the crib's encasings, Elphaba only began to cry even harder.

She had to try hard not to slump down in the sheer agony at the prospect of what she was about to do.

Making her mind and heart a blank, she reached in.

Her blind hands, by a mother's instinct, found the little girl who needed comfort the most.

Sleep had witched shadows onto the tiny creature's brow.

Ever so gently, Elphaba lifted the infant up and placed her into the colorful cloth, securing it almost overtightly against her body.

Keeping her eyes tightly shut to the world and her heart breaking, she kissed her youngest a tear stained goodbye.


	10. Chapter 10

Elphaba strode through the fog the early morning had layered upon the forest.

Small whisps of humidity had gotten stuck in the branches like miniscule clouds.

Nessa, riding on her back today, would grasp at them occasionally and cry a little when they evaded her reach, or chuckle in amazement , when the fine silken threads of a spiders web brushed against her small fingers.

Elphaba's pace was a brisk one, with each passing day and hour, she could feel the restlessness in her heart begin to grow.

It was a soft whispering on the wind, that would wake her from her sleep, the cry of a seagull that would echo through the valleys of her journey, while the ocean was hundreds upon hundreds of miles away.

She only allowed herself to rest, when sheer fatigue and exhaustion made it unavoidable to lay down and surrender to a dreamless sleep.

Picking up branches along the way, she would light a neverendingfire on them, to guide their way through the dark.

There always was a soft footed echo in the forest..there were the animals, that sensed the great power in her and, leaving their beaten tracks to the use of her heavy shoes, gave her the courtesy of a wide berth.

And there were the humans..those traversing the forests in the nights, with evil intentions, worse than most of the more sensible four legged creatures.

But they, too, the tradesmen of destruction, recognized in Elphaba, the great power that lay within her..and bent upon them..were they to deter her from her singular purpose..they, who dealt in misery, knew the possible consequences.

They kept free of her path..the one that preferred the roads of paws to those of feet.

Occasionally, however, a farmer, a gatherer of berries, mosses, woods, would happen upon her in her long wanderings.

In the daylight, he might greet her and seeing the urgency in her eyes and the small creature on her back, even give her a piece of bread and cheese, or just a friendly nod as a way of greeting.

Those that saw her in the night, bearing a torch through the swamps of their homeland, went home to whisper a new chapter of their local ghost to their wives and children.

But due to Nessa, Elphaba was often forced to abstain from her hurried footsteps and bathe the child, feed her, and comfort her, when the journey became too tiresome and stressful for the tiny human.

It was thus, sitting upon the stone encasings of a human crafted fresh water well, while she sang to her oldest, that an old man sat down next to her, keeping her company.

The originally green skinned woman froze under her white sheets of make up, as the bearded, forlorn looking old tramper began to sing a sweet lullaby to Nessa who began to doze off in the grass after chasing after a cricket.


	11. Chapter 11

„_Wonderful..they call me wonderful…."_

The old man began softly.

He looked at Elphaba, who did not stir in her shock , to pick the by now sleeping infant out of the tall grass.

"May I?" he asked shyly.

And when the witch merely nodded, careful not to meet his eyes for too long, he got up with a sudden agility and carefully lifted the baby up against his chest.

His dulled eyes were infused with a sad spark, as he continued his previous melody.

"_I never asked for this_

_Or planned it in advance_

_I was merely blown here_

_By the winds of chance_

_I never saw myself _

_As a Solomon or Socrates_

_I knew who I was:_

_One of your dime a dozen_

_Mediocrities_

_Then suddenly I'm there.._

_Respected - worshipped, even_

_Just because the folks in Oz_

_Needed someone to believe in…"_

Suddenly his voice cracked..

"_Wonderful.."_he sang unable to keep the bitterness out of it..

"_Wonderful..I said f you insist.."_

He stopped abruptly.

Elpahaba was as startled by the sudden turn of his song, as she had been to find the Wizard himself sitting there next to her, in a dark forest in the middle of nowhere.

"Why don't you continue?" she tried to make her voice as raspy as possible to avoid his detection.

It would have been smarter to cut the encounter as short as possible..but something made her stay.

"It's nothing..nothing.." the old man said, turning his head away from her, to hide his falling tears.

Given the range to study his profile in depth, the young witch could see the deep lines craven into the previously overly smooth face.

The wizard had seemingly aged decades in a space of only a few months.

She noticed his harsh loss of weight, which probably contributed to deepening the impression of the lines on his face.

But the gray beard stubbles on his previously meticulously shaven chin and his ragged and unkempt look, gave him away as what she had initially taken him.

A man of the road.

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.

Fallen.

And fallen deeply.

Traversing the woods, that spoke of her own exile.

"Why did you leave?"

The question had sprung from her lips, before she had had a chance to guard them.

But the Wizard did not turn around to look at her..his eyes remained fixated to a point in a nameless distance, while his hands carefully steadied the baby against his chest.

He kept gently rocking the little girl, as he began with another song.

This time it was softer.

And terribly sad.

"_I am a sentimental man, _

_Who always longed to be a father…."_

He lingered on the last note.

Elphaba's mind drew a blank, but this time, she guarded her wayward tongue from uttering an impatient:

"_I know,and what else?"_

She was beginning to become a little anxious.

But she made herself wait, and watched the old man carefully rock her daughter into a deep sleep.

When the little girl had become limp against his chest, breathing with a snorkeling snoring sound, he looked at Elpahaba again, catching her unawares.

"You have the most beautiful green eyes, you know.." he continued..looking at the little head on his chest again.

"They remind me of my daughter."

Elphaba was thunderstruck.

"You have a daughter?" she asked incredulous.

She had always been under the impression, that the Wizard had meant to be a father to the people of Oz, because he had longed for children of his own..but maybe that had been just another one of his manipulative lies.

The green skinned women sighed bitterly.

Taking this as a sign of compassion and encouragement, the old man continued in his tale.

"Unbeknownst.." he continued hesitantly.

Now he had Elphaba's undivided attention.

A hand flew to her lips unconsciously.

"Really?"

"Yes.." He began to rock the little girl again, who had begun to squirm uncomfortably in her sleep.

After a while he picked up the thread of the conversation again.

"She was so very.." he paused, whispering now, as not to upset the little girl further," special."

"And I..I..just didn't know.." he almost breathed the last word.

Elpahaba herself, meanwhile found it hard to breathe.

"What happened?" she whispered with a sudden urgency in her voice.

"She died.." the wizard's voice was suddenly dry and forlorn.

Elphaba swallowed hard.

"How?" her voice croaked.

It was suddenly hard for her to speak at all.

"I…I did it.." the Wizard cradled the infant tighter to himself, as though he could at least keep this one safe..even if it was from himself.

"At least..I didn't stop it.." he whispered..now rocking his whole body back back and forth as if in an effort to console himself, in a matter, that was altogether inconsolable.

"You didn't know." It was more of a statement than a question, but the old man, wrapped up in his grief, didn't notice.

"No..I didn't..I only found out after.." he was crying freely now.

"How did you find out..how did you know..how..it can't be possible?" Elphaba had moved to sit closer to him and laid one of her gloved hands soothingly on his shoulder.

Her mind was spinning.

Somehow this was happening to someone else..and she was certain, that her gnawing suspicions were just terribly paranoid and wrong.

Probably induced by a vibrant lack of sleep.

The thought calmed her down somewhat and she began to pat the man's back in calming circles.

He was a poor guy..somehow..after all.

But this had nothing to do with her.

"Do you want a drink?" the wizard pulled out a bottle of Green Elixir.

Stunned, Elphaba took it from him.

Her eyes fastened on the one he pulled from his jacket, though.

It was fastened to a gold chain, that encircled his neck.

He took it gently into his babyfree hand.

"This was hers." he turned the sparkling green bottle around in the glittering sunlight.

"She got it from her mother." he paused.

"And her mother got it from me."

Elphaba's jaw dropped open in disbelief.

"When?" was the only thing she managed to ask, increduously.

At this the old man fidgeted a little.

"Well..her father was out of town a lot.. he was the gov- a leading official..and well..I was in town..and not out of town.." he paused, studying the ground, while carefully putting the green bottle back into his coat.

"And her mother was the most beautiful woman I have ever seen.." he whispered in admiration.

"And the baby?" Elphaba needed to know.

"What baby?" the old man looked back up at her, torn out of his reverie.

"Your daughter..the one..the one you didn't know you had?" she was almost frantic.

"Oh she was..she was incredibly beautiful, too!"he smiled at her.

"But terribly hard headed.." he sighed "And with a strong set of morals..I honestly have no clue where she had gotten those from..maybe her grandfather..come to think of it." he mused with his gaze in the woods.

"But she was so beautiful and smart..and I would have been the proudest father in all of Oz..if I had only known.." his voice trailed off into a heavy sigh.

A heavy tear stole itself silently down Elphaba's cheek, digging a deep furrow into her otherwise unblemished white make up.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: **Please forgive the irrational frequency of updates..I'm actually ahead,but do edit before I post,so on some nights it comes down to either writing or posting,or, well, sleeping, or even working and studying or singing Gleesongs..I have to balance the angst out somehow;-)

Galinda was becoming increasingly anxious.

The words were a mere jumble before her eyes.

That was nothing new.

Sheets upon sheets lay before her.

Accountings of letters, syllables, rhymes and rhythms.

Tomes of linguistics, ancient languages, lay open before her.

Even her scant old schoolbooks had been dusted off, unearthed.

But she simply couldn't mirror Elphaba's instinctual understanding of the old verses that wielded so much power.

There had been a few curt ones, she had been able to decipher..more by feel and sudden inspiration than her ardent studying..but she had to admit, that it did help to sharpen her mind and give her a feel for the language of the Grimmere..even though she became increasingly hopeless that there would be a sort of Rosetta's stone hidden between the volumes of the pages facing her.

The only stone she could think of n that manner was set in green..and it bore the form of Elphaba's very distinct and yet strangely enigmatic and beautiful face.

She would probably be, forever, the only direct translation to the old book that had shaped the country of Oz, so thoroughly.

Glinda sighed exasperatedly at herself.

It was in the midst of night and the light of her lamp had already begun to flicker precariously from a lack of oil.

This was certainly not the time to get distracted by her musing of the Wicked Witch of the West.

Glinda, tapping into the powerful magic of the Grimmerie had quickly understood how trying to gain an understanding of the spells and the power, they imbued her with, made her senses not only buzz with the cadence of the verses, but heightened them miraculously.

It wasn't only the troubled look in Chistery's eyes, that made her uneasy,lately, but she could feel a congregation of magic..of magicians not in her favor assemble in the lands of Oz.

She felt their powers gather, combine..wander around..looking for a solution..a leak..something.

It was a sort of race.

The Grimmerie would be able to subdue all of them, effortlessly.

But the catch was, that Glinda did not master it fully.

So far, her nightshifts kept her a pace ahead, there was enough for her to bedazzle her followers and install in her opponents something she had never considered needing or wielding.

Fear .

But she could feel the darkness push at the periphery.

Wondering, guessing.

Probing.

They had not taken her seriously, and that had been the initial card up her sleeve.

The one she had always held.

To always be loved, always be popular, she had been superficial and pliable, amiable to everyone..or at least cultivated the art of seeming so.

No one had actually questioned the disappearance of the Wizard much..or Madame Morrible's imprisonment even, which had actually surprised her.

And at first there had been no naysayers with the subtle changes she had installed in Oz.

But her charms were beginning to wear off, and very few people, now, although not daring to oppose her glaring popularity openly, had begun to mutter at first to themselves..and now among themselves.

They were only a handful..but a dangerous handful at that.

Wizards seeking power.

They had only allowed her to retain hers, as long as they had thought her malleable to their will..but now…

Now, that she was exhibiting one of her own..things didn't go too smoothly anymore.

Galinda subtly asserted her power by little tricks.

She had alighted the big emerald city fire, all in green, by magic.

It had burned all night..not even touching the piled up wood.

Smiling and laughing, she had eaten, drunk and been merry..but there were a few whom she had allowed to see the steely glint in her eyes..and they had shrunk back from the light to converse among themselves.

There was also a new quality in some of her suitors..

It was not a shy and humble asking to keep her some more company for the night - or her life after clumsily burying her toes under theirs..but there was a lilt of seduction under the widest variation of never before seen strangers of the most different kinds of handsome.

Glinda could almost smell their hunger for the power she possessed ..and for her.

It made her skin crawl.

But she had the same little laugh and charming smile for each of them as she had for her other dance partners.

Always being firm and clear in her refusal, but not diminishing hope altogether.

As a result, half of the room, and probably half, if not all, of the single young men, and some of the women, of adequate positon in Oz, were hopelessly besotted with her.

Any untowards advance, any growl of displeasure was not tolerated amongst her faithful following, and those unhappy one night suitors were insinuated to never return again.

People were immediately protective of her by habit, and in consequence fiercely loyal.

Glinda knew that she could attribute a lot of her not having to cast a protective spell around the castle or herself and still being able to move freely in public a lot to that very fact.

And,after all, she had the sudden ability to sometimes feel the strong emotions rolling off of people.

Although she suspected, that that had been there all along, and she had only noticed it, when she had stopped solely centering on herself.

With that ability, the blonde witch had discovered a new kind of popularity, one that had nothing to do with the bedazzling smiles and cheery attitude.

She had noticed her new power by accident, actually.

Instead of putting the wood for the Emerald fair's fires, untouched as it had remained, back into the castle's storages and ovens, she had ordered it to be left in the town's square.

For those, poor and cold, to help themselves.

When she had set out on her predawn wanderings to the graveyard, she had seen them, the lost and forlorn of the Emerald City.

Shadows moving in the hint of light beginning to merely touch the sky.

And there had been gratitude rolling off of them in waves.

Towards her.

Glinda had hurried on, reigning in the tears stirring within her, for she knew not what.

The saying did work in reverse as well, it seemed.

If one made enemies..one also made friends.


	13. Chapter 13

„Hey.." the old man's voice had grown even softer, as he saw the young mother next to him cry.

She was furiously fighting against her tears and he couldn't help but feel guilty immediately.

He, the wonderful Wizard of Oz..people had danced and laughed and feared him, and now, all he did was make girls cry.

He was careful to check the condition of the baby on his shoulder.

At least she wasn't crying.

Sighing, he carefully fished for his handkerchief.

He had always been good with children, and the thought stung him deeply, as it always did when thinking of Elphaba.

All of these lost opportunities..

Her home and upbringing such a wretched one..

When he would have plucked the stars out of the skies for her.

And now..all was lost.

Lost and gone. Forever..way into eternity.

Some part of him wondered if there was a God.

And if that God would be as merciful as to allow him to speak a few words to Elphaba before sending him off to wherever he was to go in the afterlife.

The Wizard knew, that his place of residence would be a vastly different one than that of his daughter..but he only wished and requested that one little favor..to be able to speak to her..and tell her how sorry he was..how very, very sorry.

Elphaba took the proffered handkerchief from him silently, carefully watching him.

A big tear rolled along his suntorched face and his eyes focused on the spot where it fell into the unshorn grass.

Actually, he only traversed the earth..waiting for that one moment..nothing before and nothing after mattered to him anymore..not all of Oz.

The sleeping infant on his shoulder gargled a little and balled her little hands into fists in her dreams.

Being torn from his bleak thoughts the Wizard nudged the tiny hand with his little finger, so the child could ball it into her fist for a little extra comfort.

His eyes widened a little in surprise.

He turned back towards the woman sitting next to him.

"Her fingernails are the most beautiful color.." he complimented her.

Elphaba swallowed hard.

"They are the exact color of your eyes!" he looked again at the head of the small creature in his arms.

He had never been to these lands before and was amazed that it was customary to paint your children's nails in them.

_Wonders will never cease_, he figured, and sighed loudly.

_Why did everything have to remind him of Elphaba, all the time anyways_.. he thought bitterly to himself.

"Well," Elphaba was torn between the desire to jump up and check the state of her disguise after her unhandy bout of emotional exhibitionism, and to reveal all and watch the shock spread over the old man's face.

But she couldn't bring herself to digest the consequences of a revelation, and to be honest, she couldn't even digest the news she had just gotten..actually wouldn't be able to for at least another few days..or weeks..or lifetimes.. and yet, strangely enough, she simply couldn't make herself get up.

The green skinned woman felt rooted to the little stone wall, while behind her the waters of the fountain lay deep and still.

_Checkmate._

A small smile spread itself across her face as she remembered the rules of Chess.

Checkmate..Chess was such a polite sport, that one would inform the other of his or her victory instead of simply beating the opponent's King off of the board.

Actually come to think of it..this was more of a Remis..both of them not being able to move forward or back..

But then something in Elphaba's overtired, jumpy brain clicked itself into recognition again.

The Wizard hadn't quite answered her question of why he left and, startled, she realized, that she didn't know how he had come to be in the possession of the small bottle that was so decidedly hers, that she had carried it on her at all times.

Who had told him, that it had been her mother's?

It certainly wasn't her..their conversations had been few and short, but quite memorable..who else kn..

"_Glinda."_ she only noticed that she had spoken the name aloud in a whisper, when the old man suddenly spun around on her, alert and startled.

She returned his shocked expression.

"You're from Oz. I have seen her picture in the newspaper.." that was the weakest and quite illogical excuse she could possibly have come up with..but to her great relief, the Wizard was more terrified at being found out himself, to have paid much attention to the logic behind her reasoning.

"Yes." he sighed.

There was a short pause, while he shifted the girl in his arms, and willed his heartrate to slow.

Elphaba began to think feverishly of how she could get the desired information out of him without revealing too much herself.

A small rustle against the skin of her bodice, reminded her of the newspaper picture she had cut out the other night and chosen to take with her.

Of course.

" I..we have the Ozians news here..seeing as there are so few of our own.." she was lying through her teeth..but professionally so.

"How come that that, uhm, sweet girl is now the ruler of Oz? While I was uhm..pregnant..I didn't have the time to read so much..with the morning sickness and all..and us needing the paper for the uhm, toilet.." Elphaba felt the fatigue pull at her brain's creative productiveness..but then, fortunately, the Wizard spent his days wandering around and drinking..

He coughed a little, mindful, still of the little creature in his arms.

"Uhm..well.. I guess there was time for a change of government.."he said non-commitally.

"Why..what was wrong with the old one?"Elphaba tried to sound as naive as possible.

"Well," the Wizard sighed deeply, readjusting the infant on his shoulder," I..I mean..the government..the ..the Wzard of Oz..made some risqué and unpopular choices..and it was time for a breath of fresh air and someone popular to step back up and try her new little pink hand at being "Good".." he had begun to ramble, much to Elphaba's surprise..and the last word had been laced with sarcasm.

"Why..don't you think that she's "Good" as you have spoken, I thought the new decree..concerning the Animals and all that, might turn out to be a rather revolutionary and rather "good" thing.."Elphaba felt the anger in her rise again.

Even in her disguise..even in both of theirs..absolutely powerless and in hiding..still the old argument.

She sighed.

"Well…" the Wizard paused, his temper deflating as suddenly as it had risen," She _is_ good..I am not questioning that..and releasing the Animals and equating them was certainly a very good deed to do..but I doubt,that she s "Good" in the governmental sense.." he paused.

Elphaba was taken aback...she didn't quite know what to make of his summary.

"What do you mean? Do you think she is too lacking of intellect..too pink..too..blonde?" Now she was becoming angry for certain..too many people always chose to see Glinda for what she presented..never for what she was..selling her short..just because she was little.

Elpahaba wanted to share her heated opinion , defend her friend, in front of the Wizard.._her father_..as strange as it sounded in her head, but he spoke before she did.

"Government business, my dear Miss, is a little more intricate and complicated than you might think.." he raised an eyebrow at her questioning and open expression .

She reminded him of someone..someone he couldn't quite place..but he felt comfortable talking to her.

"Well.." he begun" look here at this particular situation.."

"Miss Glinda the Good, as they call her "he briefly snorted, " might have done a good deed by freeing the Animals to their former positions..but politics is not about good or evil..or right and wrong..it s about contentment.."

He continued as he saw his companion nod in acquiescence.

"Now, what about those people occupying the positions the Animals are returning to? What about the owners? And especially.." he looked shrewdly at the young woman who was following his words with rapt attention.

"What about those..not content…for whatever reason..lack of power, property, beauty..money.."

"There is always..in every society.." he looked the woman into the perfect green eyes again..

They mysteriously pulled him to a place he could not quite put his finger on..but it lay somewhere in the past..

"Those that are not happy with the way things are, and they need not only someone who they will look up to..but they need to be continually put in their place."

"The only thing that will content them, in the end however is power. Therefore,as to control them, you must give them power, higher social status..something..that makes them feel superior to others..otherwise your state can never be safe and happy."

"And the others, in this case, would be the Animals?" Elphaba asked increduously.

"Yes..the Animals. They are so vastly different, that it is hard for them to form allies..and they, without the power of speech, pose no threat to the power structures in itself."

"That is cruel." Elphaba had said the words before thinking.

But the Wizard only shrugged.

"Cruel, yes..but absolutely necessary." He looked away into the distance suddenly.

Elphaba felt something shift.

"You think, that by freeing the Animals Glinda upset the balance of power?" she couldn't believe her own words..this was ridiculous!

"No..I know so.." the wizard avoided the question in her eyes.

"I am..well,uhm..Ozian..we know those things.."

But Elphaba suddenly caught the breeze he was "listening to" and she could feel it, too..knowing what to look for..magic..a lot of it..tall, dark, massive…threatening.

It stirred a hint of claustrophobia within her.

And since she knew just that little more than the Wizard did..she could also feel _her_, when reaching out..like she had done every night for the past year..shining, sparkly..and troubled.

Suddenly the great feeling of urgency Elphaba had carried in her midst those past weeks, began to gather momentum as the heretofore vague puzzle pieces her mind had subconsciously gathered clicked into place.

"I have to go." She said, suddenly getting up.

Torn out of his reverie, the Wizard looked up at her.

He suddenly realized, that they had probably been sitting there for quite a while.

"Of course." He answered, carefully handing the little girl in his arms over to its mother with a quick, wistful expression on his face.

Elphaba looked him in the eyes.

He caught hers, as they both paused in securing the infant to her torso.

And the witches eyes were unguarded.

The numbed part of his mind that thought it recognized the color screamed at him.

But it was soundless..there was no name..and his heart..it had long been torn..there was no talk and emotion there anymore.

_But..but.._

Elphaba saw his helplessness.

The Wizard, the great and Wonderful Wizard of Oz, he just couldn't decide whether to believe or not.

Something in her cracked..and while she couldn't quite forgive him for everything he had done..

He was her father after all.

"There..there.." surprised, she found her voice choked with emotion as she begun to speak.

"There is a village..it is..in this direction..where the sun sets..and, and you will recognize it by the fountain with the great deer with the emerald eyes." Again, her gaze found his.

Her eyes were boring into him, commanding the old man to remember her words.

"Go..go and ask..for a man..an.. unusual man..by the name of..of Baldazar…" she had almost not been able to remember his undercover name.

"Tell him..tell him..I sent you..he will need." She almost lost the power to speak "help."

There were great tears gathering in her eyes again, as her body tensed itself against the sob that was threatening to escape her throat.

The old Wizard looked at her, bewildered.

"Go.." Elphaba breathed at him before speech left her completely.

She could feel the Wizards mind still struggling, but little sparks of something dawning on him filled his eyes.

"Do it for your daughter." she said curtly, before turning abruptly away from him.

He stood where she had left him, his mouth hanging wide open and a hand reaching out for her, dumbly..

Understanding was tugging at his misted mind.

But then he saw her pick a small bundle off of the floor beside the fountain..and it was tied not to a stick..but a broom.

He gasped audibly.

With a tear filled look over her shoulder, Elphaba used his moment of shock and turned back into the forest, which immediately swallowed her whole.

The last view he had of her were her black gloves..which were smeared with white where her make up had left them stained.


	14. Chapter 14

Elphaba felt her eyes fill with tears again as she burst through the underbrush.

She had forsaken any inclination towards roads or even the trodden paths of animals a long time ago.

Stringing her whole being out onto the whisperings of the wind that talked so incessantly to her, she drew her direction blindly from the senses that were unknown to most of mortal man and womankind.

Ever since that talk with the Wizard, the undefined feeling of urgency in her had finally taken shape, had acquired substance and had grown greater, by the day.

By the hour.

She could feel… Glinda..could feel her presence in the muddled world of magic..could feel her grow and sway..

And waver.

It was like a shining beacon of light.

Upon which darkness was encroaching.

And it had begun to flicker.

Elphaba thought that she could feel the blonde's desperation..her fatigue, even.

But maybe she was mistaken, and those were just her own.

The muscles of her legs screamed at her..

And her arms and her back..

She carried baby cradled to her torso, to better shield her from the vicious branches that so freely tore at her own clothes and face.

By now,the witch's whole upper body had begun to form an iron mass..clenching in on itself from sheer exhaustion.

Only Nessa was calm.

The girl was confused a little by the rapid succession of new impressions she did not have the time to comprehend, but sensing the great haste and determination of the woman under whose heart she had resided for so many months, the infant hardly stirred.

Elphaba however, was ready to cry with rage.

She could not say for how long she had stormed on like this, if day and night had passed, and if, how many of them, but she knew, that she simply would not be able to go on much longer..and especially faster..

Time was running out..

But she could not spur herself on to greater speed..rather to the contrary.

The landscape, which had subtly changed, bore an increasing amount of familiar marks, and the green witch gnashed her teeth in frustration.

These were the forests she had traversed during her rogue times.

They were hard to manouevre and very dark.

Unwelcome places, forbidding..and therefore perfect hiding grounds for the liberated Animals, and herself.

She had learned to live off of the freely given gifts of an environment, in which she found she had to do very little to camouflage herself.

But right now, there simply wasn't the time for snatching berries, finding mushrooms or cooking roots and cabbages.

These forests were still days away from where she needed to so desperately go.

And they were taunting her..taunting with their familiarity..it was as though they dangled the Emerald City before her eyes..just to keep it out of her reach.

Elphaba cursed under her breath, as she stumbled yet again..a habit that had increased in frequency in the past hours.

Looking at the small head in her arms made a wave of guilt immediately wash over her at her crude words.

She briefly wondered what kind of vocabulary the little girl would exhibit during her first tries at spoken language.

Shaking her head at herself, she pushed on, only to stumble again.

Only to curse at herself again, loudly.

Pausing briefly to gather herself, she really couldn't afford herself to fall while carrying the baby, Elphaba suddenly became aware of eyes following her.

Pretending not to notice that she was being watched, she stumbled on.

Her ears were perked for sounds behind her and her senses whetted for danger.

But a good half an hour of great tension passed by uneventfully, when the young woman was sure that she was pursued.

And that the pursuer was by him or herself.

Blindly fumbling in the pocket of her dress Elphaba grabbed her makeup and drew her hand through the soft powder.

Blindly smearing it over her face to obscure any green that might have gotten smudged off of her face by the incessant scratching of the insolent branches, the witch got ready to face her mysterious stalker.

She turned around midstride in the hope of catching him unawares.

But her eyes were only met by the endless and quite empty green of the canopy the leaves provided.

A soft whirring of feathers attracted her attention to a tree branch above her line of sight.

She was not sure at first whether her eyes had gotten confused by the monotony of green and brown, but the bird seemed huge.

Cocking an eyebrow at her, the Owl screeched.

Elphaba drew her eyebrows together in thought.

She was sure that she had never met the Owl before..and it obviously didn't talk..but it unmistakenly addressed her.

There was an intense look in its eyes, almost as though it meant to burn its meaning into her head by telepathy, which only confused her even more.

Considering her a moment longer, and finally laying its eyes on the sleeping young one on her arm, the giant bird finally opted to speak.

"Coooome.." it said in its characteristic, dark call that echoed through the woods at night.

But Elphaba understood him well enough.

She strained to quickly hurry on on her own unmarked path, but the Owl only cocked its eyebrow at her again before blinking a few times in irritation and flying off to lead the way.

The green skinned witch followed it quietly and swiftly through even deeper bouts of underbrush.


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N:Guys, busy,very tired lately. Will try to be better in ! Hope you enjoy!**

„_Whoooz…"_ Glinda distractedly wondered at the sound her carpet seemed to elicit as a purple hole singed itself into the velvet fabric.

It fizzed out with a few Golden sparkles.

The blonde witch made a feeble mental note to inquire as to the nature of the carpeting in her private rooms.

She certainly would have expected a more substantial, smoldering sound..maybe akin to the crackling of a wood fire or even the sputtering of green leaves, set aflame.

The last stop her train of thought had taken her on, made her look guiltily at the formerly tall palm tree, which was supposed to be framing her big window.

Glinda bit her lip.

She couldn't even remember the spell she had tried on the tree..nor could she actually remember the one she had tried just now.

What had she been up to, anyways?

The young woman scrunched her eyebrows together in concentration.

But the only word her mind would throw at her was "Sleep."

It was all she could think of lately.

Yesterday, talking to a young farmer from Munchkinland, she had fallen asleep in between sentences, _despite _his high and irritating voice.

Fortunately he had been under the impression that Glinda had been deeply immersed in thoughtful consideration..so when she had awoken with a big start, he had expectedly looked at her.

Instead of using the expletive which had first come to her, she had, remembering his background, simply uttered a "Dung."

Grasping both of her hands gratefully, he had quickly exited the room thanking her profusely for solving his fertilizer troubles.

Glinda was a little puzzled..but then, that was an increasingly familiar concept to her..

She now had taken to always keeping lists on her, detailed schedules, reminding her, sometimes, of what she was doing right at that minute.

The Grimmerie was being a pain as usual..not very forthcoming in revealing its secrets..and finding competent and trustworthy help in these dire times, was becoming quite a hardship.

Even her Grand Vezier had taken up pestering her about finally finding a spouse.

But his nudging, albeit seeming to be of good and selfless counsel, lacked the good nature of Mem's.

She could feel the stench of that other kind of magic on her superior officer.

Glinda was also wondering when she had started to magically sniff people out, but she was too tired to even care that she had started behaving like a dog.

And that was saying _a lot._

Mem and Chistery had somehow bonded over her caretaking, and that was saying a lot, too.

They had been partnered only in their dance of mutual dislike and jealousy so far, but both of them, now, were carefully waltzing around her, it seemed.

Glinda found her eyebrows jerk up curiously on occasion.

There were apples and all kinds of fruits, hot teas, to be found on her desk at all strange sorts of times.

Mem did not enter her chambers that far, and especially not that late, and Chistery did not have the habit of bringing her food or fixing her tea.

On the other hand, she had found Mem being increasingly careful to shield her from any strangers.

Seeing the sleek sharks that were sometimes courting her, had activated her motherly instincts, and the old woman had given up on the whole Prince Charming talk altogether.

_That _was saying something.

Actually, the behavior of her old nurse tugged a little at Glinda's heartstrings.

When she had been a little girl, there had always been a strong hand batting away the too eager hands, that greedily grasped at her bright blonde curls.

Of course, seeing her two confidantes join forces, because she obviously needed caretaking and protection so much, that she couldn't even complain about wanting some, worried Glinda.

She knew, that she was making progress with the Grimmerie..but she could also feel the outside forces mount and the effort and long nights were straining her so far, that she sometimes felt as tightly strung as a violin.

But then..if there was one quality about her, it was her undeniable stubbornness.

Sighing, she turned back towards the wicked book.

A fresh breeze hit her face through the windowpane she had made disappear a few hours ago.

It spoke of rain.

And something else.

Her candle briefly flickered.

Surprised, she took up the scent of the wind again.

But there was nothing on it anymore but the impeding thunderstorm.

"Like a _dog, _Miss Glinda the Great.." she reprimanded herself cynically.


	16. Chapter 16

Elphaba blinked.

But her eyes were not betraying her.

After a short while-she had only considered turning back twice-the big bird of the night that had led the way, had alighted on a big tree branch.

It was already raw with the whetting of its claws.

And just beyond that tree, an ancient oak, was a tiny cottage.

It was so small and surreal, nestled into the deep and dark of the trees like a lady into her lover's neck, that Elphaba had not seen it at first..and then had thought her overstrained orbs were playing tricks on her.

There were even a few flowers, bright yellow in their hue, adorning a small garden patch.

It was the peonies, that finally made Elphaba break her frozen stance and walk up to the door nervously.

But as she rose her formerly black glove to knock, the door opened on its own accord.

And Elphaba blinked again.

A huge ox stood before her.

But it wasn't the sight of the Animal as such, that startled her.

In the middle of the Forbidden Forest, in the neatest little cottage imaginable..there was an ox with an impeccable pinstripe suit, standing on two legs and squinting through a monocle at his pocket watch.

"You're early." He said, furrowing his brow, and Elphaba could suddenly feel her knees give in and her legs begin to buckle as the smell of a near finished soup hit her.

She managed to turn and curl herself around the little bundle in her arms, as her body sunk to the floor in a limp heap.

The big Animal sighed briefly before yelling out to his companion.

"Padre! I could use a hand or a claw over here!"

The Owl quickly complied.

After covering the short distance with a couple of flaps of its wings, it went about gently extracting the sleeping baby from the young woman's arms.

After making sure, that the infant was securely fastened in its sheets, it snatched a corner of the cloth in its beak and ever so gently rose back up into the air, careful as not to disturb the sleeping child , while it flew inside the warm chambers.

The ox sighed again at the sight of Elphaba's torn clothes and swiftly swooped the lithe witch up into its powerful arms.

Shaking his head at her little weight, the Animal went to follow his companion, kicking the door shut behind him with one of his hooves.


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N:** **NOT a big fan of the document manager. Wondering which words the evil thing will swallow when posting is just not fun. That said,my "i" yes, that is the letter on the keyboard not my identity..is broken. So please, if something seems off to you,let me know:-)**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

„_Again?"_

Glinda was not happy about the news.

Not happy at all.

Another ball.

"I mean..again? Yipiee." She corrected herself unenthusiastically.

Mem set down another glass of tea before her, while giving the Grand Vezier an evil look behind his back.

"Miss Glinda the Good!" it was not lost on the blonde, that her superior officer was intentionally using her full title in a weak effort at suck upage.

It was all she could do to refrain from rolling her eyes in his face.

But she had to keep up appearances after all.

"There have been so many citizens, asking..no _begging_ for a celebration "The Glinda Way.." so many young men, are simply _dying_ to meet you, your Highness..and uhm, a few women, too" he carefully probed.

There were a few speculations done by those who would just simply have loved to see the ruler of Oz completely happy again.

Happy and in love.

And her consistent turning down of even the finest male suitors quickly gave way to speculation.

But the Vezier, fatherly a person as he was, would simply have been content with any new partner by his Queen's side.

Anyone, actually, who'd manage to sweeten his superior's mood.

Glinda the Good had been downright amiable when with Fieryo, where now, she was demanding and kept him to work an impossible amount of hours for whatever social cause was riding on her mind at the moment.

He sighed to himself.

Anything to keep her a little distracted and content and allow him to be keeping himself a little distracted with the much neglected castle gardens..and well, content.

Whoever it had been that had suggested to him, that the new Ruler of Oz _needed_ a spouse had been correct.

Glinda the Good needed someone she could rule with, and he needed his roses..and they him.

The Vezier smiled benignly at his Queen.

Anyone.

Just as long, as they'd both be happy.

Glinda, watched the faraway look in the old man's eyes, as they traveled through the window behind her and down to the castle gardens.

Leave it to the "Wonderful Wizard" to turn his gardener into the "Grand Vezier".

The man was possibly the most harmless and easily manipulated being in all of Oz.

The blonde quickly shushed her mind as it eagerly began supplying her with names for competition for that title.

However, she strongly suspected, that just that very quality in him, had, unbeknowingstly to himself, turned him against her.

Many of her virile, threatening young suitors, had sleazed up to her side by his recommendation, and Glinda didn't have to guess far as to what turn the thought of his roses was taking him,right at this very moment.

Peace and serenity in holy matrimony, alright.

She shot him a death glare as he sighed again, his gaze still lost on the greenery behind her.

But then, she reminded herself, both of them had things to hide..she could see him grow a little nervous as his fake cheeriness became more pronounced.

"Maybe..maybe, we could even find you ..and all of Oz ..a new prince.." he left the end of the sentence lingering in the air intentionally.

This time Glinda couldn't help herself.

She rolled her eyes.

"A new _Prince_? Really?" she countered.

"What's so wrong about me ruling Oz, dare I say it, by myself?" she was really anticipating his answer.

"Well, Miss Glinda..all of Oz just wants to see you happy." Genuine concern was lacing his voice now.

"And, if I may be so bold."she didn't have the time to interject a heartfelt "No!" before he continued.

"Well, it has been quite a while since Prince Fieryo has uhm,..disappeared."

At least the politician had the grace to blush at his overly personal remark.

Glinda sighed.

She had played the Fieryo card to exhaustion, that was true..but while she still had no intention to remedy her single status, and compromise her self and power for another happy faced and shiny doofus, Glinda could not argue against another ball.

The people..and she was beginning to hate that phrase..The _people _needed to be happy..and for some unfathomable reason that had to do with a certain green skinned, obnoxiously do gooder person, whose name her mind rather left unmentioned, at this particular moment, "The people" were her darned responsibility now.

All Glinda wanted to do was to sleep.

And if not to sleep..then at least get some productive down time with her new best friend.

Her _book_.

The petite, famously pretty witch grunted.

Her Vezier, who had been intently studying his hands, suddenly looked up at the unexpected sound.

But he quickly subsurmised, that he must have been mistaken, because Glinda the Good was beaming at him.

"It would be my pleasure", she stated, her voice sincere and as sparkly as her smile, "to host another grand party in these way too empty halls."

"But my dear, " her voice took on a tone of conspirationality as she lightly covered the Vezier's hand, "You mustn't be gross with me, if none of the suitors meets my fancy."

"One mustn't lower one's standards..as you know."

"Of course!" the old man smiled at her benignly.

"But who knows..maybe someone will meet your expectations one day, mylady." With that, he bowed out, to set upon preparing another great festivity in the emerald halls.

Glinda remained, her smile disappearing as the doors closed behind her visitor.

What was wrong with her anyways? she wondered, as she absentmindedly bit into an apple that Mem had stealthily handed her.

She used to love any opportunity to show off a new dress and a couple of dance moves..

And now…

Glinda suddenly looked at the half eaten apple in her hand, as if surprised to be finding it there.

And then, just as suddenly, she felt the darkness push at her again..

Scheming. Waiting.

Closing in.

With another grunt she went back to her room to have a quick peek at the Grimmerie before fixing herself up for her public address about the state of something or other.

She had written it out sometime yesterday.

Agriculture reform, that was it.

What was it with these farmers anyways..?

_They_ were getting on her last nerve, too.

Biting off another chunk of her apple, Glinda the Good's mind exercised its creativity in a number of colorful words, directed at an unpresent green woman and the idiocy of last promises.

They were easy to make and certainly hard work to keep.


	18. Chapter 18

Elphaba awoke by the feel of something soft nudging her face.

Judging by the weight beneath her right collarbone and the insistent and light prodding on her right cheek, she assumed, half consciously, that Nessa must be hungry.

Still not fully awake, her hands flew to the top of her shirt and begun to unfasten the topmost button.

Suddenly however, they froze at the touch of the circular wood.

Images from her last whereabouts began filtering into her increasingly conscious mind.

And the weight on her chest was decidedly too light for it to be her oldest.

Furthermore, there was no sound, all of a sudden..no happy baby gurgling at its success in finally having woken her.

Actually, there was a happy baby gurgling.

Hers.

But across the room.

Elphaba's eyes flew open to settle on whatever was pressing down onto her chest.

The light from the room blinded her at first, and all she could see was the outline of a round head with tiny pointed ears.

Basically right n her face.

The green witch gasped in surprise.

The squirrel on her chest almost dropped its miniature washcloth onto her black cotton shirt in a sentiment of equal startlement.

Both of them stared at each other, before Elphaba focused in on the tiny piece of cloth in the small Animal's paws and correctly connected it to the soft, prodding sensation on her face.

Her right immediately flew to the spot, where the red furred creature had washed off her life preserving layer of make up.

Forgetting about the perpetrator for a moment, Elphaba hastily righted herself up into a sitting position and looked at her fingers.

There was still a smear of white on her green hand, and the young woman began to exhale a sigh of relief.

_Her Green hand!_

Elphaba froze in time and space.

She rose her left to survey it along with its companion.

Both of her hands were an immaculately clean green..with little bandages around her bruised and scratched fingers in various places.

Her eyes traveled along her hands to her arms, surveying a great deal of damage done to her sleeves.

And her shirt and dress as well, where the passing branches had torn at them.

Instinctively, her eyes traveled to Nessa.

"She 's fine.", a deep voice echoed behind her.

It was quickly followed by a happy baby's squeal of merriment.

Elphaba turned to look at the great ox who had initially greeted her at the door before she had fainted.

He was walking towards her with a perfectly clean and laughing infant in his massive arms.

When she picked her little girl out of his embrace, she noticed the soft white cotton sheet the infant had been wrapped up in.

Elphaba looked at the Animal questioningly.

"She has been bathed, fed, changed..and even burped..if may say so." He stated rather proudly.

But instead of a wave of gratitude, the green witch could only muster a levitation of her eyebrows in sheer surprise.

"Cow's milk..of course, she'll need to have Human later.." the great animal began to fidget a little nervously.

Elphaba looked down at the child which had begun to play with her loose hair.

_Loose hair?_

The witch's eyes traveled down to her green hands again which stood out in sharp contrast to the crisp white of Nessa's sheets.

The ox, meanwhile had gotten himself a sturdy chair to sit in front of the green skinned woman, and had followed the path of her eyes.

"Uhm,yes..you weren't too badly hurt, but a little scratched and damaged..so we..well." he started fidgeting again and even began to blush a little around the nostrils.

It made the dark grey skin of that area appear an almost black.

"We tried to clean and bandage you up as well as we could.."

The ox was now studying his hooves on the floor.

"I'm green." Elphaba simply stated, at a loss for anything else to say.

The ox looked at her surprised.

"Of course!" he exclaimed.

Both of them were looking at each other, unsure of what to make of the other's reaction.

"Of course?" Elphaba repeated his statement as a question.

"Well…it has been prone to rumour and mystery, your tale..so I wasn't sure if you'd really be green..but then I didn't see how it would matter in any case and.."

The witch cut him off.

"You _know _who I am?" she asked incredulous.

"Of course." The ox calmly repeated himself and leaned back in his chair.

When Elphaba only kept looking at him, he crossed his legs and inhaled.

"The white face paint, surely is nice, Miss Elphaba.." he began with a smirk, "but we Animals, big and small, go by _smell."_

The thus addressed woman wasn't going for it.

"But you don't know what I _smell_ like.." she began, growing frustrated, "because I am sure, that we have never met before."

"And you're right." The ox smiled again.

"We..we wanted to know..if..well, and if..how..and.." completely unexpectedly for the young woman, tears had started into his eyes, as he lowered them to the floor again.

"How you _died_.." his voice was but a mere whisper.

"You see," his big hoof wiped unsuccessfully at his eyes," even if we never met..you were a sort of legend."

His face grew into a grimace.

"And you were keeping us motivated..hopeful..those of us..hiding out here in the forests..or even those in captivity..."

The ox sniffed again heavily at the memory.

"When you died..I mean when the rumors of your death traversed the woods..many lost hope..and so did we..we just needed to…well, to see..or in your case, to smell." He met her eyes again with a brief and sad wink.

"And well, so we went..and all of Kiamo Ko, smelled of you..but not of death..but then, we didn't know, if a witch that had melted would even smell like death..but we figured, the Vicar and I, that there was enough reason to not lose the last glimmer of hope altogether..and you see.." now his eyes were outright beaming at her.

"The wind carried your smell..the one we had wondered about for so long..on a breeze one night".

"But I don't get it..why do you need me?" Elphaba couldn't describe how touched she was at his description of the impact the mere mention of her existence, and its presumed waning had had on his life.

But she filed the emotion away for later and chose to concentrate on the facts.

The big, hoofed Animal only looked at her quizzically.

"I mean , you're free now, haven't you heard? You..I mean you.." her mind did a few short somersaults assessing his identity," can even go back to teaching at Ph.."

But the ox interrupted her with a brief snort.

"Freedom, m y dear lady," he got up, to pace the room in aguish.." is only relevant if it is of substance and.." he paused, "Endurance."

Now it was Elphaba's turn to shoot him a quizzing look.

"The things one hears these days…" He looked at her meaningfully.

"There are forces afoot, which are not happy with our freedom, and will not rest, until it is undone.

And now, whether the Lady Glinda can uphold our rights in the face of adversity..or even her own power is anyone's guess.."he sighed sadly.

"And I have not hidden myself all of these years..and painstakingly relearnt speech, only to have it snatched away on a gamble.." he finished and looked darkly at Elphaba.

But she, clutching the baby to her tightly,only blanched under her half made up face.

"I have to go." She said breathlessly and started to get up.

"Wait!" the ox, was at her side in two strides and gently put a hoof on her shoulder.

"You need to eat."

Elphaba looked at him, sheer urgency now visible in her eyes.

"Thank you..but I really have to leave..I have to hurry.." she pleaded with him in a desperate whisper.

"And we can help with that." He left the hoof on her frame and only turned his head to shout out in an intelligible moo.

The tiny red squirrel quickly scrambled up onto his shoulder, while the great owl came flying in from an adjoining room.

"The green one needs speed." He simply said to both of his companions, who only nodded in silent understanding.

The squirrel jerked its head into a direction that was clearly not the door.

"No.." the ox replied to its mysterious statement.

"They are bewitched..anyone who tries to ride them or put them before a carriage or whatever gets some kind of electric shock.. there were some problems with the owner,it seems..and they were suddenly very happily let go before coming here.."

At the sound of the word "Ride" the owl's head suddenly perked up, however.

"Pegs." It only hacked out briefly.

"Of course!" The ox finally liberated Elphaba's shoulder from the weight of his heavy appendage.

"Will you be so kind as to get him..and ask him..nicely?"but before he finished the sentence, the owl had already vacated the room through the window.

Sighing, the great Animal turned back towards Elphaba.

"You will be a lot faster with Pegs..and you have enough time to eat and get yourself decently cleaned up before he gets here." He finished with a smile at the young witch.

He made to lead the way into the adjoining room where food and milk were awaiting her, but stopped short, so he could pull up alongside the tall woman.

The ox bent his great head down towards Nessa with a nonexpressive face, and then, all of a sudden, blew a great gust of wind through his nostrils and let out a low "Moooo!".

The little girl laughed again, gleefully, and much to Elphaba's surprise of the day, the great beast chuckled along with the child.


	19. Chapter 19

Glinda looked up to find her unmade up face staring back at her in the gilded mirror.

"Oh,screw it..by _Oz._"

With one solid and swift move, borne out of years of practice and innumerable evenings spent trying on at least a dozen unsatisfactory outfits, Glinda slipped out of her pale yellowish gown, and tossed it into a growing pile, not far from her right.

"Burned sunflower yellow, my sunburned yellow a- "her eyes found the old Lady behind her in the reflective surface.

"Mem!" she stopped her colorful exclamation midsentence.

Her old confidante gave no sign whatsoever of having overheard her and only set down a cup of warm and sweet tea before retreating again with a curt nod.

But out of the corner of her eyes, Mem caught the desperation in Glinda's.

It wasn't her usual, old enjoyment and theatrical destitute at simply not being able to find the "just right" dress..this time, there was a hint of anger in the young witch's demeanor.

She was facing a chore and was seeking inspiration for it.

Hopelessly.

Mem sighed quietly.

Glinda had always enjoyed parties and dressing up so much.

But under the given circumstances, even Mem was almost scheming to just hold the girl back from hosting another great event and lock her up into her bedroom.

Tie her to the bed and sing her a song until she would finally sleep.

_Just how did all of this happen?_ She wondered.

Glinda had always been such a little angel when little.

She would sleep for hours, occasionally snoring a little..and not give any trouble at all.

But these days..

Mem shook her head to herself.

Half of the dresses Glinda tried on were falling off of her anyways, and the pale multitude of colors she preferred only highlighted the drawn aspect of her face.

Of course, Mem neglected to tell her so.

The blonde witch was charming and loveable as always when in public..but while she always still made an extra effort to be nice to her, Mem couldn't help but notice how much of an effort it was becoming.

The girl became increasingly easily irritated and emotional.

There were still those many early mornings, when Mem had set out to prepare breakfast and found Glinda traversing the halls.

Her eyes would not only be lined with the, by now customary , dark furrows of the lack of sleep, but also red from crying.

Discreetness disallowed the older woman to ask, and Glinda would not tell on her own accord.

But the old woman assumed, that under the stress and lack of sleep the whole Fieryo desaster was finally catching up with Glinda..and she hurt for her surrogate daughter's heart and dreams.

Both broken by that terrible, inconsiderate Vinkus prince.

So after all, the only thing that was left for Mem to do, was to sweeten Glinda's tea to a point where she feared, that she might send the girl into a hyperglycaemic coma, to make sure, that her bathwater was just the right temperature..her dresses clean and taken care of..and adequately trimmed down to her slimming figure.

In short, to care for her, as well as she might.

The girl was the head of state now..and as much as it pained her to see her fading so fast, there was nothing an old nurse could do.

Gliinda, her little angel, was all grown up.

And obviously quite capable of swearing like a sailor.

Mem shook her head at herself again.

_That's what one gets when moving to a seaside town_..she thought to herself.

Sure, the view was nice..but ,really..the talk was a definite minus in her book.

Chistery watched the old woman shuffle out the door, probably to prepare some more tea.

She had wordlessly, such was their only mode of communication, put an apple into his paw, closing his fingers around it.

Soundlessly as always, he had spent some time watching an increasingly impatient Glinda pick out a party dress.

Finally he spoke;" The blu-ue."

He was a Monkey, and Chistery surely wasn't used to be of service in the more arbritrary feminine matters of his masters..but he couldn't help himself helping Glinda in whatever it was that she needed.

He didn't want her to cry.

And she was about to do so in frustration and hopelessness.

Again.

Chistery had seen Glinda crack a few times under the constant strain of keeping up appearances while struggling with her own emotional load.

But lately, she had sometimes begun to weep out of sheer exhaustion and desperation.

And there were the bouts when her temper surged up in anger.

The walls of her study must have markings on them, by every book in them, by now, he figured.

Well, every book, but the Grimmerie.

Having been bewitched by it, Chistery, too, could feel its magic.

And he certainly could relate to Glinda's instinctive respect to it.

But he also knew, that the book had been not only Glinda's but also Elphaba's most prized possession.

And well, he couldn't help overhearing sometimes, when he was hiding in the shadows again, and Miss Glinda had all but forgotten about him.

The blonde would sometimes fall asleep on the book, and awakening blurry eyed, blink a few times, wondering where she was.

Realization would slowly trickle into her brain.

And that moment, when the Animal watched her face, which had been relaxed and smooth in sleep, fold back again into the lines of worry and those of sorrow, broke his little heart some more.

Every time.

It was often then, that she would grab a tome of something or other ad hurl it powerfully against the wall.

She would not say much..usually nothing at all..but when she spoke, she spoke to the Grimmerie, although it wasn't the one she was addressing.

"Why..why..damn you, Elphie!"

And then, sitting back down, she'd pour over the endless pages of the magic book some more, hiding her head in her hands occasionally, and sighing heavily.

But Chistery did not see her eyes move as if in reading.

She was merely looking at the pages.

Probably wondering which ones Elphaba had used and read and cast spells from.

Sometimes her fingers would linger on a page..touch it reverently..and Glinda the Good would strain…strain to finally, finally decipher the words written therein.

But it was silence that met her.

And Chistery would hear her sigh again.


	20. Chapter 20

Pegs..as usual..was late.

The first thing that tore Elphaba from her careful study of the Oz newspaper while ladling her soup was the soft whirr of wings and an exasperated sigh by a very unnerved owl.

The Vicar landed on the back of a chair by the table and ruffled his neck feathers while rolling his eyes in exasperation.

But a smile was playing around his beak.

His old companion had kept him fixed in an attentive gaze and smiled silently back at him.

Wordlessly the Ox got up, not releasing a happily gurgling Nessa from his muscular arm, and came back with a carefully ornamented bridle.

Elphaba had followed the silent exchange distractedly.

She had just read about the green, unconsuming Emerald Fair Fire, witched about by the one and only Glinda the Good, and was evaluating her own instincts in the light of the information, that Glinda was, after all, making progress with the Grimmerie.

She also, inexplicably felt proud of herself and her friend.

Elphaba was probably the only person who had always known, that Glinda had it in her.

She hadn't given her the great book to figure out on her own for nothing, after all.

And she couldn't have been happier to have been proven right.

But still..her senses did not betray her.

The danger was not avoided, or even subdued..just stalled.

The green skinned woman sighed heavily to herself.

Only when both, the Ox and the Owl, turned their heads to her at the sound, did she look up again.

Elphaba had hardly any time to register what the taller animal held in his hooves, before her startled thought was interrupted by the clapping of another pair of hooves on the small slab of concrete before the door.

The main door swung open without any previous knocking, and she was greeted by a snort and a grin.

Pegs had arrived.


	21. Chapter 21

The first sight that met Glinda's eyes was purely purple.

Blinking again, her brain took the opportunity to register the scratching sensation to her nose and cheek.

Finally making a connection, the ruler of Oz awoke with a start.

Glinda found herself on her not-so-plush-up-close carpeting where she had, obviously, passed out.

Her body felt as tight and unflexible as cold steel.

She had paced the study with the Grimmerie in her arms, muttering to herself, seemingly forever.

And her arms and spine weren't too forgiving, it seemed.

The hard floor didn't exactly work wonders for any of her body parts either.

Carefully getting up, Glinda groaned to herself.

She felt as leaden as a stone.

A lead stone, that is.

Glinda wondered if there was actually a thing such as a lead stone..or if that, too, came as…what was it called again?

Ore.

Probably.

The blonde carefully rubbed the creases out of her forehead that all of that thinking and worrying were beginning to put there, permanently.

Actually, Glinda the Good was worrying about the perils of premature aging and wondering about the last time she had actually bothered with some decent moisturizer, when she felt a sharp pain nag at her shoulder.

Her right left her worrisome temple, where a headache was threatening to make an appearance, and flew to the hurting spot.

Silently cursing the softer-looking-than-it-actually-was, floor, Glinda began to massage the kink out of her deltoid.

But then, there was another stab of pain.

Right through her right knee.

The young woman buckled under the sudden sensation, too surprised to even cry out.

A sinking feeling in her stomach and a strong wave of nausea made any attempt to explain the unwelcome sensations away with the uncomfortable resting place her unconscious had chosen for itself, a vain effort.

Glind could _feel _the magic behind the hurt.

Sweat broke out on her forehead, as she felt a tight grip enclose her lungs and chest.

She was kneeling on the floor now, bracing herself with both hands against the onslaught of pain and fear.

"_Keep focused!" _her head yelled at herself .

With a great deal of effort, she swallowed her fear down, and ignored the agonizing pain, which was now also shooting from both of her hands.

She slipped a little on the carpet.

Even her eyes were beginning to sting.

But if it was from inflicted pain or the threatening tears of fear and desperation,she couldn't say.

"_Screw It!"_ she hissed loudly with the little breath she still had.

Ever since she had come to the Emerald City, Glinda had picked up on the crude language of some of its inhabitants.

Amazingly enough, she felt the use of the harsh words, which none of her parents or peers, except maybe for Elphie, back in the day, had ever consciously practiced, liberating.

It had been helping her clear her mind, remain calm and focused and, using it inwardly, able to remain friendly in the face of adversity.

_Dumb and brainless adversity,that only those frigging,wildly incompetent fools were …_

Her unexpectedly creative mind on such matters came up with a few silently muttered colorful words, which helped clear it out like a thunderstorm on a humid day.

Words, words, words..the power of _words_..Glinda mused..her thoughts were grappling with a concept, an idea,a _feeling._

Another shot of pain ripped through her stomach and made her groan loudly.

But her intellect had caught onto something..and she wasn't going to let it go.

Words from the Grimmerie were swimming before her eyes.

Spells she had cast, which had worked, unexpectedly..or differently..

Words.

Markings cut into clay by ancient civilisations..

Knots tied into string by the South American messengers of the Maya..or were it the Inka..or the Aztecs?

Glinda wasn't sure..but whoever they had been..their sandaled feet had run…carrying messages..

Tied up in rope.

Words, words,words..all the words..Homer, the hidden meaning of the..

Rhythms of poetry..

Elphaba in the Wizard's castle..in these very halls..

Emerald, as her skin…

Chanting, reading..

Casting her spells like a net.

Reaching..

Catching..

Drawing in.

Releasing..

Her secret…her skin..

Her father… and mother..child of …

Both worlds.

And only Glinda knew.

The blonde could see her, could see Elphaba's wild eyes..could see how she had reached out to her, and started singing..

Finally.

She remembered that feeling, when she had asked her, to come with..to be free..

Free..free of..free of..

Free…

Glinda could still feel the humming of the broom beneath her fingers.

And then,then..Galinda, no Glinda already, had seen her rise.

Had seen Elphaba rise into the air..chanting,singing,yelling, eyes wild and on fire, as she had never seen her before.

Defying not only gravity, but her father, or well, who she had thought he was, and all of those who had defied her..betrayed her.

Not loved her.

Or not loved her enough..

"_And if that is love, it comes at much too high a cost."_

Glinda clenched her teeth in chagrin.

The old pain, at the old memory.

Her current state was almost forgotten.

Pushed back by a sudden, a deeper, more familiar anguish.

Had Elphaba been right?

Is there too high a cost for love?

Was there?

And if..what was she doing here?

Hunched up in pain on a carpet in the ruler's castle of Oz.

The blonde felt another jolt of pain tear through her.

"_Your cause!"_ she had said.."_Your_ Cause.."

Not "_Ours_".

She had known, even as the words had left her mouth, that she had betrayed Elphaba, the green skinned one, right there, right then.

Her choice had been made in that very moment.

She hadn't needed to say it, to voice it.

Love already lost.

Loyalty.

Elphaba's cause. Not hers.

And Glinda, cringing on the floor, remembered that feeling of joy at seeing Elphaba succeed, happiness for her friend at having finally broken lose.

Happiness for her.

"_I hope your happy now.."_ she had meant it,with all her heart.

But then the pain..

Her own misery at being left behind.

Tied to the ground.

Not quite yet understanding the choice she had made in that moment.

Out of hesitation.

Of fear.

The choice..

But she had wanted this, Glinda had, ever since she had been capable of conscious thought..this, this _dream_.

But in the end,or was it the beginning?

It had bound her instead of setting her free.

And now?

Now?

She had a cause..Elphie's cause.._her_ cause, all of a sudden..and well, didn't she ever have her dreams come true!

The very Ruler of Oz, wildly popular, one ball after another.

Men, princes, nobles lining up just for a dance with her.

A morsel of her attention.

But she only had eyes for her book.

Worry for her people.

And a solitary desire for some sleep and rest.

She had everything she could have wished for.

Almost everything.

But none of it meant anything to her anymore.

_Elphaba's _cause..

"_Getting your dreams is a little..well, complicated..", _she sang to herself, her voice dripping with irony and pain filtered in through her thoughts now, as more parts of her felt like they were caught on fire.

Maybe her dreams hadn't turned out the way she had planned, and she _could_ be a little happier, if truth be told.

But she couldn't fathom how, now, after all that had happened… all that had been.._lost._

There, the tears were worrying her eyes again..

Well, one thing was for sure, happy or not, she wasn't..she _certainly _wasn't to go and let these bastards go ahead and have the best of her.

Her head flailed at a thought a_ feeling_.

She tried to hold onto..onto..

Something.

It ran along the trail of thoughts,charging wildly..looking,searching.

Glinda was only merely half conscious with the effort of the fight and the pain.

There were always the dreams to take her away.

Bring her close.

Alter her reality.

But dreams..

Dreams, dreams..tricky things.

Tricky,tricky things..

Weren't they supposed to free you?

But all they did was bind and blind in the illusion they created.

Glinda remembered, with a brief flash, the mares, that had come and paid her a brief visit, full of gratitude and humility.

The ones she had charmed their owner out of.

She had seen the fear in their eyes..had _felt _it..and Glinda the Good wasn't blind..she had been blind..chosen to be so for the longest of times..but these days, she chose to see, and she had seen the deep scars on their flanks, where stirrups and whips had cut into them.

There it was again, that rage..that..that injustice.

No one would ever ride them or put them before a plow again.

She had made sure of that that night.

Her poor plants had severely suffered the effect of her grappling with the ancient spells, but she had, actually, finally, managed it.

Because she had wanted to.

Needed to..to put...

Another searing flash through Glinda's midriff tore her away from her erratic train of thought.

The mares..the spell..and Elphaba..cold and shivering, chanting in the dark..

And the runners of the Andes..with their balls of knotted ropes..the clickings of the Africans..the rhythms of their talking drums..the whistling of the Fuerteventurans..the scratchings of the Etruskans..

And the Grimmerie.

The words..

Words..

Glinda began to sing, ignoring any other sensations..she began to pick up a melody which her sleep and pain befuddled brain pulled out of the very depths of herself.

The song was full of anger.

Of pain and bereavement.

And of freedom.

Even the freedom from dreams..that, like the haze of illusion could slur reality, blind and harm.

Glinda the Good sang like a skybird, her voice high and melodic.

Only cracking slightly.

And the words, its syllables..completely intelligible..forming a rhythm, weaving the ropes of knots and scratching the clay..

And somewhere, far, far in the darkest of the dark recesses in Oz, a small, carefully adorned and meticulously enchanted doll caught fire in the hands of its owner.

Gasping, he threw it to the floor.

One of the others in the darkened room saw the effects of the counterspell and quickly grabbed a short kitchen blade from the near table.

He stabbed the little, blonde curled plaything, in one swift motion.

Straight to where the heart of the miniature Glinda would be.

But the metal of the knife bent upon the impact.

There was a sudden skin of steel, right beneath the woven exterior.

Even while all of the men in the room stared at the object in utter surprise,the little puppet finally disintegrated in a puff of pink smoke.

The spell had been broken.

Back in her great castle, Glinda the Good gave in to a deep unconsciousness, that rushed to claim her in her sheer exhaustion.

For the second time that day, her head sunk listlessly onto her not so plush carpeting.


	22. Chapter 22

„Pegs?"

Elphaba's eyes had widened at the sight of the gleaming, snow white Horse.

"No!Just..just _no_!"

Pegs looked at her, his light grey eyebrow twitching perceptibly.

"No?"

He repeated her previous statement.

"No..what? I can tell you what's no.." his gaze traveled over to the bridle the Ox was still holding up, smiling broadly in his amusement.

"This..this _thing _that's what's "No!", Miss Green skinned wicked witch, savior of all Animalkind."

He rolled his eyes at her.

But Elphaba remained steadfast.

"I am not..and repeat, am _not _going to ride..ride a ..a Horse..no..that's that's just not going to happen."

Her now, completely demasked face had blanched into a remarkably lighter shade of green, as she took a few steps back in horror at the prospect.

"You ride a _broom_." Pegs was a little offended.

"How can you be afraid of riding a_ Horse _?"

He huffed, his front right was pawing the ground as he whinnied.

"I mean..it should be I that ought to be complaining.." actually, the white Animal had planned on just such a scenario, where he would whine and shimmy and finally, finally give in, to jump over his pride and help Elphaba for the goodness of all of Animalkind, showing his noble creed and intention.

The green lady was ruining his plan!

Elphaba looked at him scathingly.

"Uhm, I mean..not that you look,like you weigh too much..or anything.." her scowl only grew deeper.

"But, but I am one of the Free, the Free, you know, never chained to humankind.."

He glanced at the bridle again with a snort.

"That's why I strongly object to that _thing. _And that's why you should thank me on your knees for allowing me to let you hop on, for Oz' sake."

"I _never_ let any human ride me. Never!"

Pegs was indignant.

"The broom is enchanted." Elphaba said calmly.

"Well, of course it is." Pegs voice was beginning to grow softer.

He stepped over a few steps and looked at the small baby in the witch' arms.

Too bad, that he was such a sucker for the little ones..

He sighed to himself.

"Well, my broom certainly doesn't carry me around all flying."he said gently.

He was a little bitter about that,actually.

Not about the broom..but about the deal with the flying.

Although prettily named, Pegasus, as was his full name, was always a little jealous of his namesake's wings.

"It's not just the flight.." Elphaba hesitated.

"It's..it's also enchanted to never… never drop its passenger."

Her look traveled to the small bundle in her arms.

"That's why you're afraid of horses?" Pegs was astonished.

" I would… would _never _throw you." He snorted a little for the baby's benefit, which was already tugging at the white strands of his mane.

"Well, " he raised his eyebrow again.."I mean., I would make very sure, that the tiny one would never fall._ " _

Grinning despite himself at the gagas and gugus of the girl, he quickly fought back for his composture.

"But you're so BIG and unmanageable!" Elphaba blurted out.

"Well,..my dear Lady.." now, Pegs was really offended.

He took a step back, snorting, while the green with inhaled deeply, to gather her breath for further argumentation.

"Hold it!" the ox stepped in between the two to prevent a further escalation.

He looked sternly at the two.

Elphaba's face had darkened to a deeper shade of green in her anger and the very close prospect of having to to ride such a_ .._a an _Animal,_while Pegs had begun to paw the floor with his right.

He snorted as his hoof scratched over the cobbled stone.

"..She ..She" he started,but looking past the ox, he noticed a suddenly paling Elphaba.

Her eyes had suddenly grown wide and bewildered, not a look he hadn't been familiar with in the few minutes he had known her, but what genuinely worried the Horse, was the fact,that the witch was now taking a few steps back and was most definitely not focusing on him anymore.

"Well," Pegs commented drily to the ox,"She seems to be fainting."

At that the other hooved Animal quickly spun around.

And there, indeed, was a very light green skinned young witch, clasping an infant to her with a pair of eyes that were wildly fighting against the confusion that had seeped into them.

"The wind…the wind.." she whispered.

"Oh no..the _wind_."her eyes suddenly raised themselves to the Ox's .

"The wind..the dark...and ...I am..I am.."suddenly Elphaba grew very still.

"Late".

She breathed the last word.

Wordlessly, she handed the Baby to the great animal before her.

Her eyes were empty when the professor tried to catch them wordlessly.

They were out of focus.

Seemingly far..very far, away.

Suddenly, without warning, the woman before him folded herself to the ground.

Her hands gripped the stone floor in urgency as her eyes flew shut once again.

"Eleka Nahmen Nahmen…let her…let her flesh .."

But Elphaba could not go through with the spell.

Fieryo's sad eyes looked at her from beyond the apartment they had shared.

His puppet bead eyes with the great sadness in them.

"No..no..no.." she whispered to herself.

_Glinda.._

Elphaba relaxed into the name and reached..reached...

She could feel the great darkness, the pain, the hurt, the malintent..

And something else.

_Glinda.._

_The Grimmerie._

Her friend was also reaching..reaching..fumbling..for..for..

Elphaba forced her mind to go back to that day, when she had first held the fateful book in her hands.

The Wizard's sweet words.."_My monkeys they want to fly.."_

Her childish innocence..

And the book, that lay open before her.

She had wondered about it at first..the old leatherbound tome..all the strange words..

But then something in her had clicked..

As if..as if..in..in.. _recognition_..

Elphaba stretched herself out on the string of bygone memories..for that feeling..that, that innate knowledge.

The cadences, the rhymes.

The spells.

And she suddenly remembered Boq, clutching at his chest, her sister beside her screaming at her to right what she had wronged..

Her desperation..her fear..

And again, the words.._the words._

Elphaba shut her eyes tightly.

Silently, she found herself again in the room with her sister..the memory of her sparkly shoes..it saddened her beyond words..but there also was Boq…

Boq,dying..

Elphaba caught the words swirling dimly in her mind, and thinking of a candle, a fire wildly fighting somewhere far away ..sparkling and pink., she caught them in her hand.

The green woman drew a deep breath, and tightly holding on to the image of a bubbly and smiling blonde opened her fist and blew the words through the night into the direction of the East.

"_Remember,Glinda? Remember, the night we were trapped in the room, chased by the guards?Remember…"_ she thought to the other woman.

Elphaba suddenly felt calm wash over herself again at the memory.

She tried to capture the memory..the..the _feeling_.

There was so much that she regretted, usually, when she remembered that particular moment in her life..

But she could not help the feel of elation..of calm… of.. of.. release..

What Madame Morrible had taught her had been a craft.

Controlling her surges, her instincts..

But in that moment, Elphaba had mastered them..become whole somehow..

Risen.

And in the very next moment aware of the cost..as she had looked at Glinda.

Whole and unwhole at the same time.

But she couldn't forfeit her destiny.

The book had called out to her, as had the sky.

And it had been lonely..that was true, so very true...

But she had been free..

Elphaba paused as feelings of bitterness and relief struggled with each other.

Now, somehow, here she was, the cold, stone floor underneath her hands so different from the carpets of the emerald castle then..and Glinda the one wielding the Grimmere..

Darkness instead of guards catching up with her..

Elphaba could feel Glinda struggle..and connect with something..something…_it._

Then she suddelny felt calm..felt a surge of anger, far,far,even further, away.

Felt it rise and ebb...

Averted, contained, for now.

The green witch sighed, spent somehow, without really knowng why.

She felt Glinda..slipping away into sleep in a similar sentiment.

She was fatigued, she was hurt..but she was..

Whole.

Elphaba smiled to herself.

But still there was no time to loose, for while the blonde witch slept, metal was thrust into a rock, and an oath was made.

The wicked witch felt a shiver run down her spine at its unspoken implications.

She knew what she must do now..overcome her fears and fly to Glinda, instead of away..

_Or, well,_ she glanced at the Horse with a sigh.

_Ride._


	23. Chapter 23

Glinda felt broken.

Every bone in her body seemed to be hurting.

Her head knew,that the injuries she had sustained the night before had been magical, an illusion, and that as the counterspell had finally ridded her of the unpleasant sensations..it had also prevented any real damage from manifesting itself.

Spells could not be undone, that was true enough.

But Glinda had gratefully defeated the evildoer's magic before the harm had been completed.

There was hardly any doubt as to what that completion would have led to.

The blonde shuddered at the thought.

As much as she hated the ache of her inwardly bruised bones and the kinks in her shoulders and back, from spending some more time on her so seemingly beloved floor, it felt good to just be alive.

Glinda knew, by instinct, as well as by intellect, that this had been a more than close call.

Coldness crept through her petite frame.

But it only highlighted the small flame in her, that she could feel burning there brightly.

She couldn't exactly say how she had finally done it, but she had used the Grimmere.

And this time not by a careful deciphering of a simpler spell..not by trial and error..but..but…

She had_ mastered_ it.

Or it her ..or whatever it had been.

Even if it was but for a moment.

Glinda was unsure if the Grimmerie could ever be mastered, actually, but now, when she took a peek into it, it almost spoke to her.

There was definitely something that had changed in her relationship with the book.

It wasn't blank pages full of gibberish anymore, but songs in unknown languages winking at her with implied meanings.

The ruler of Oz had even happened upon Elphaba's flying spell a few hours ago.

And she hadn't known,that it was just that, because it had said "Flying Spell" or "How to Bewitch Cleaning Utensils for Transportation Advantages."

Instead, the words..unintelligble in themselves, had spoken to her of flying..she had gotten the sensation of flight,of freedom.. in her stomach.

There had actually been a physical sensation!

It had made her smile, and Glinda, again, had to remember Elphaba's exhilaration on that fateful day, when their young ways had split, all those years ago.

She could feel it now..the flight..the joy..

And with it, again, came a pang of regret.

It made her stop midstep and catch her breath for a moment.

That was almost physical,too..the pain of grief and regret.

But the blond shook her curls at the thought and feeling.

She really didn't have time for this sort of nonsense at this time.

It was still early in the day, and the great ball was to be tonight.

Which meant a lot of meetings with, probably, farmers, Glinda rolled her eyes at the thought again, some speeches to write, and some kicking around of her Grand Vezier before that.

He had been supposed to drag up the names and whereabouts of all of the "Animals" previously residing n Oz.

And their purported destiny.

Glinda the Good wanted to make sure, that not one Animal would be kept in captivity, because his or her owner would not release it into freedom voluntarily.

That..that _creep_, for example, Glinda couldn't even think of a nice word for him, who had shown up at her doorstep, contesting the new law, had tried to keep his Horses back forcibly.

And there simply was to be none of that..not while she was the Ruler of the place anyways.

Glinda rubbed at a sore spot on her elbow absentmindedly.

There were great glitches n the report the Grand Vezier had given her originally..and Glinda just wanted this to be taken care of, done and over with..so she could concentrate on her next pet project.

One of her own, finally.

The poor and desperate of Oz strongly needed a plan and help instead of ignorance.

Food,water,wood..and schools..something like that.

She'd actually have to look into that further as soon as she found the time.

Meanwhile, Glinda the Good shuffled the numbers of the annual budget around in her head.

Of course, the Farmers..that neverendingly tiresome breed, would need a taxcut, too.

Glinda shook her head at herself.

With the drought and bugs or whatever they kept yapping on about.

They were actually never bold enough to actually suggest a taxcut, but all of their various problems and little grievances, t was clear to her, would find quick relief with one simple and universal solution.

But there was time for that later..first the Animals..then the poor…

And then she would draw up some new household shenanigans with that Grand Vezier of hers.

His previous experience as the groundskeeper for that ridiculously huge castle actually did come in handy sometimes.

They would just treat Oz as a huge garden, she figured.

Weed some here, water some there..let it grow..and everyone would be happy.

The blonde smiled to herself.

_That would work out quite nicely, actually,_ she thought.

But there was still the problem of her unseen enemies.

The Grimmerie hit heavily against her side with each step she took.

"Well," the Ruler of Oz pondered," if I'm done away with before anything gets planted..the whole place might just become a desert."

And to be honest:

She was so over the color yellow.


	24. Chapter 24

Elphaba got up from her kneeling position on the stone floor and started dusting off her knees.

When she finally rose her head and looked up, she noticed that she was surrounded by a group of very aghast looking Animals.

The Ox was still absentmindedly rocking her daughter and stared at her wide eyed, while the Horse looked at her with a gaping mouth.

A trail of saliva was threading its way to the floor from his bottom lip.

Even the Owl, which was perched on the back of a kitchen chair blinked at her nonplussed.

The Squirrel was peeking out from behind one of its big wings.

"I…I need to go..and,well.. quickly."

Elphaba broke the silence.

The Ox immediately broke out of his funk, and turned to the kitchen to get some food ready.

"Pegs.." she swallowed heavily.

"I..I uhm,would like to take you up on your offer..if you don't mind, that is."she actually managed to chisel a smile onto her face.

The Horse snapped out of it, and mumbled a flustered "Of course, sure..I mean, I offered." to her.

But the Owl hooted a short sound, which made everyone turn to the Vicar.

The Avian rose a quizzing eyebrow directed at Elphaba's torn dress and the unsaddled horse.

"Liiiiiiiiiiiike thaaaaahaaauuut?" it screeched.

"Hm?" his companion turned midstride on his hooves.

"I see what you mean." The Ox replied, after taking a good look at the green woman before him.

"Uhm, what do you see, what he means, exactly?" Elphaba quizzed, obviously concerned about her appearance, now, that the Animals were taking critical note of it.

"You can hardly just walk right up to the Lady Glinda."

The Professor replied matter of factly.

"I can't?"

Elphaba was visibly surprised.

"No, one must ask for an official meeting, or be invited.." he paused, "or be of royalty."

"Royalty?" Elphaba looked at him, trying to gauge the direction of his thoughts.

"Yes." He looked back at the Vicar, there was obviously an idea cursing through his mind.

"An official meet and greet would take too long to request. Half of the Munchkinland farmfolk are hopelessly smitten with the Lady and have booked her solid for months.." he was thinking aloud, his eyes not leaving the Owl's.

"We don't have an invitation either.." Elphaba finished for him.

"No." Both, the Ox and the Owl were looking at her now.

Assessing.

With another glance between the two, the Owl simply nodded and flew off.

Elphaba briefly wondered if the Animals could smell the kind of blood that was cursing through her veins.

_Did the former Ruler of Oz's blood even count as blue?_ she wondered.

He was a mere human "Cornfed Hick" as he had described himself, after all.

But then there was the whole Ruler thing to be taken into consideration..

Pegs tore her out of her ponderings

"Well, and Elphaba here, isn't royalty either.." he called after the disappeared Owl and pounded the stone floor again, exasperatedly.

He hated being left out of the know.

"Maybe." The Ox beamed at him for a reason all his own.

"But noble standing isn't made of blood alone." He nodded at Elphaba.

"Only few have it tattooed on their skin." he continued with a meaningful look at her greenness.

The witch couldn't help but wonder how much exactly the old Professor knew about her true heritage.

"What are you trying to say?" the white Horse now inquired further.

But the Ox only laughed.

"Nobility isn't made by being great statesmen, intelligent or even great communicators."

Pegs only looked at him, while, this time, it was Elphaba's turn to look at him flabbergasted.

"It's about.." he started.

"Popularity." She completed drily.

The Ox's and the Horse's heads turned to her in surprise.

"Why, yes. You have gotten that right." The old Phoxian amended with an appreciative smile.

"But what I was originally going to say was.." and as if on cue, the Owl flew back in, dropping a neatly wrapped parcel in the middle of the floor.

"Clothes."


	25. Chapter 25

Glinda checked off each item on her mental checklist,a s she made her way to breakfast.

"Dress?"

Check.

She had opted for a deeply emerald velvet number after all.

It was time to grow up and lose the pastels.

Shopping, her favorite past time, had become a downright nuisance a long time ago.

When people were dropping down and paying their respects, unless they were selling you shoes.. after a couple of months..it had simply become tiresome.

Glinda had asked Mem to look into a good dressmaker, had him take her measurements, and chosen the material from a few samples.

The new garment had arrived just this morning.

Glinda had not been able to contain her impatience and tried it on immediately.

The material was silky smooth and soft, and it engulfed her like a forest river.

Hugging itself tight to her curves and flowing freely past her legs.

Perfection.

There was an expanse of gold stitched onto her right side, which reminded her of the sun breaking through the trees and sparkling on the waters.

Her left arm remained bare, with the dress only embracing her right arm and shoulder.

It was a little daring, and Glinda briefly wondered how she was to keep her admirers at bay..but then, she straightened her back a little.

The dress was a statement.

One that stated, that she was not in yearning after anyone anymore, but her own woman.

And that she could stand on her own two feet.

Be single, and powerful and yes, sexy..without needing some useless gibbering fool by her side to harness her strides.

She liked the way the rising sun had sent its first shafts through her room to reflect on the color and lighting up the gold in brilliance.

It had made her wonderewhat kind of effect it would create in the great ballroom, full of candles.

Sighing, and for the first time, looking forward to this evening, she took it off again.

There was also the Ruler's tiara, she wore ever so rarely.

A sea of glittering diamonds, which held, in its middle, a great emerald stone.

It signified the Emerald city, while the other stones represented the other provinces.

It would go perfectly with the dress, and Glinda could not help but be impressed, by Mem's choice in dressmaker.

He had obviously kept the piece of jewelry to go with the dress in mind.

Sighing to herself, the Ruler of Oz tore her mind away from her evening gown.

There were duties to attend to.

The second item on her list sprang to mind.

The chamber of commerce meeting.

Last time, Glnda the Good had fallen solidly asleep during one of their meetings.

Gratefully for the position he filled with everlasting patience, she had turfed the future meeting s to her Grand Vezier.

But there were unfortunately still a few left, where a couple of delegates would keep her updated and make special requests.

It still bored her to tears, but meeting in her "office", an official room, with a startingly tidy desk, that she kept just for that reason, was giving a personal feel to the meetings, and allowed her to keep an exceptionally strong cup of tea by her side at all times.

Politics were far from the great and graceful affair Glinda had always believed them to be.

Instead, they were the possibly dullest pastime imaginable.

And yet, with the just right twist of the hand, the perfectly timed smile, the casually dropped compliment, Glinda had become more than an adept politician.

The whole business of the state affairs had scared her witless at first, though.

She had been a less than brilliant student, to put it mildly.

There were those small its and bits she had managed to pick up in her long days at the palace, before ..Elphaba had been hunted down, and Fieryo, while still with her, had been roaming the countryside.

It wasn't easy, running a state..certainly..but she did have a little help here and there.

Her Grand Vezier, who had been very fond of her in the early days,before she had obviously annoyed him more than he would ever let on.

And there were other people of the state who came and went.

Ironically, it had been just that, her quality as a bad student, that had helped her cope with the running of Oz in the first months.

Picking up clues and essentials to scrape by the next exam, pass the next class..

Pretending, and convincingly so, that she knew very well, just what she was talking about, what she was doing..it had cemented her standing among her officials and made her trustworthy in the eyes of the people.

And well, actually Elphaba had helped her, too, as time progressed.

There had been those moments, numerous of them, actually, when Glinda had sat in meetings and conferences and was half aware of something she had learned ages ago in 's class.

She wished herself back to those days..wished her old books back..her old notes.

But she also knew, that she would not have found generous markings in all of them.

Galinda had never been like Elphaba..meticulously taking notes, studying..taking more notes..even on the books she read..or was supposed to read.

Elphaba had taken a startling amount of notes..detailed..in her neat handwriting, Glinda was able to remember enviously.

She had actually copied them when her scrawling shorthand had become too indecipherable.

Glnda could stll remember those days very well, when her green friend had forever and ever copied, and written and read, all the while mumbling to herself, while she, Glinda, had studied her.

It had been a tough case, Elphaba, and a very interesting one, that did, indeed, take a lot of study and assessment..but she had set her mind and heart on making the green girl popular..and the first step to that had been to make her beautiful.

Or rather highlight that beauty, so that people would not see the green, but the girl.

So while Glinda was busy improving on Elphaba's standing, she missed out on her classes, which could have been of some use n ruling Oz.

It would have been only fair if Elphaba could have helped her just a little, now, that she could use her head and knowledge of the classes she had been but little attentive in.

Glinda's mind had traveled back to the note sELphaba had taken.

What had happened to Elphie's stuff after she had defied the Wizard and Gravity anyways?

Everything had been taken from their room and kept hidden away as evidence and searched for clues as to her whereabouts and plans.

Glinda touched her index finger to her lips.

Elphie's things had been taken to Oz…they were probably right in the Emerald castle.

After a few more conferences, that made her head spin, she had finally been desperate enough to send Chistery to find them.

And he did.

Therefore, week, by week, Glinda became a little better at actually running Oz.

There was a lot more to it, than what one might have thought, but every evening, before bed, she would pick out a new subject and dive into Elphaba's study habits.

There were those days, when she would find herself sitting up late, reading by the meager light of her night lamp,a book or a set of notes propped up on her drawn up knees, that she couldn't shake off the notion, that she now only needed to turn green and she would present a duplicate Elphaba.

The thought hurt as much as it delighted her.

And every time, she shook her head and cleared her mind of the memories that haunted her of the green girl, looking up from hre books, smiling at her, during their school days at Shiz.

Instead, she made herself focus back on the subject at hand.

There were a few things Glinda had wanted to be good at.

Not all, wherein her schooltroubles lay..but some.

And she had chosen to be a ridiculously good Ruler of Oz.

Glinda the Good should not stand for a lot of hot air, like it had been the case with the Wonderful Wizard, but she wanted to be Good for real.

For the _people_, who were beginning to grow on her like a multitude of adopted children.

And Glinda had to admit:

As dull a subject as it might be, done right, it could be fun, challenging..thrilling even.

And for some reason ,that she couldn't fathom, she had a natural knack for it.

Going through her checklist which included some more meetings and speeches and state affairs before the candles would be lit and the music played tonight, she couldn't help but feel incredibly tired again at the prospect of having to face the evening with a crowd of people, playing nice.

Instead of sleeping.

Instead of getting some alone tme with the Grmmere in.

Glinda bit her lip.

She certainly had to make time for that, too, tonight.

The sinking feeling in her stomach told her, that someone was very, very angry.

She sighed deeply.

Ruling a country and battling unseen enemy forces at once didn't really allow the time for the concept of sleep.

Or food.

Glancing at a clock, Glinda bit her lip.

Mem would kill her , surely, when she would ask her to make her breakfast to go.


	26. Chapter 26

Elphaba felt the wind rush by her face in a strong and cool gust.

It turned into a roaring thunder by the time it reached her ears.

_The wind..the wind.._

It churned her insides, made her heart beat faster and urged her on to even greater hurry.

"_Run..run..",_ she wanted to whisper to the Horse that moved beneath her legs.

But she could feel him sensing her urgency.

Could feel Pegs ball his muscles into powerful knots and push himself to even greater speed.

Trees, bushes..the very earth slipped by her in a mad rush.

"_Hurry,hurry..", _the breeze whispered to her.

And weren't they ever.

Pegs knew the ins and outs of the forest like no other in its confines.

He found ever new and small winding paths and made short work of obstacles like fallen tree trunks or creeks.

With a short snort to warn his rider he simply took off in a powerful leap and flew right over them.

Elphaba was standing in the stirrups and holding on tightly to the reigns.

Her back was arched over his powerfully moving body.

They had found a saddle for him in the Ox's and Owl's carefully collected hoard of "things that might come in handy one day".

It was a beautiful match for the bridle Pegs had grudgingly agreed to wear- bitless.

The _thing_ as he had referred to it, was now more of an ornament and a disguise than an instrument of dominance and control.

And like the clothes Elphaba wore, it had come from the Vinkus castle she had hidden in during her final days as the "Wicked Witch of the West".

As it had turned out, the Ox and the Owl, after ascertaining her death, or non-death, had merrily set out and plundered its confines for anything useful, or sellable.

Like most of the unused castles around the country, the Vinkus had used it as a storage place for all the too precious to throw away, but not too precious to be locked up, things a royal family amassed over the years.

Amongst those were the beautifully matching set of horse gear and..

Elphaba's outfit.

The Animals had, while completely ignoring her, debated whether they would hide her hair, cut it short and send her into the fray of the ball as another prince in a male disguise, or as they had finally agreed, leave it as it was.

When the Horse had thoughtfully commented, that with the rumors increasing about the Lady Glinda's stern stance towards prolonged solitude, the amount of other Ladies of high standing courting for her attention had also increased, all the Animals had quickly agreed to not disguise Elphaba apart from her skin and dress.

Riding up the castle steps as a princess seeking Glinda's attention in a princely uniform, might just give her the extra edge over the sea of male admirers.

With everyone vying for it, her unusual outfit might garner her attention and proximity, they voiced unisono.

Elphaba had protested in vain at all of it.

In the end, she had had no choice than to exchange her torn black shirt and skirt for a shining white uniform.

The parallel silver rows of buttons, which were connected by pieces of string, were undeniably the Vinkus' style.

They painfully reminded her of Fieryo.

Brash and daring and haughty as he had been.

She still remembered being that girl who had been so in love with him.

But he had been Glinda's and she, well..she was just lacking.

Looking down at herself with a sigh, she remembered that innocence of youth.

The drama and the hurting heart.

The biggest problems in all of the world.

She actually yearned more for these bygone days, than for the scarecrow who was somewhere, well hidden in the confines of the Western Skies.

Elphaba sighed at the passing of innocence as age had taken them along on their course.

The great and dashing prince coming to the rescue.

It was her now, and the Vinkus uniform but reminded her of the irony.

As a saving grace, it was white, unlike Fieryo's forest green one.

White as the snow..white as the Horse she was about to mount..and white as the single strands, that wove themselves through her hair.

White and silver.

It was clearly a dress uniform, and Elphaba knew, that she could not argue with it in the end.

It was a perfect disguise, for a perfect occasion.

And urgency tugged at her gut like a string on a puppet.

They needed to get going.

"Well, " she twirled around for effect with the briefest of smiles, for the Animals, who had given her so much help, and put so much effort into her trip.

"What do you think?"

The room had suddenly grown very still.

Only the squirrel, jumped over her shoulder and began to furiously work a needle through the cloth.

The Ox found his voice again, first of all.

"You're quite beautiful, Miss Elphaba." The words echoed another's through time and space.

The green woman felt tears start to her eyes.

"Thank you."she whispered.

She reached out her arms as she walked across the room, to take her sleeping little baby girl back to her and fasten her to her torso.

Suddenly the Owl hooted again, gently.

"Uhm..Miss Elphaba.." the Ox looked at his companion, before facing her again.

"We..we don't think, that it would be such a good idea to take the little one.." he fidgeted, his eyes glued to the floor.

"It's..it's quite a ride to be making it to the Emerald city until tomorrow evening..and..and " his brow was furrowed in worry as to her reaction.

"Well..it is..uhm..not such a great idea to make an entrance at a great ball, with a..a..an infant.."

Elphaba's heart broke in her chest.

The words did make sense, she knew, but she wasn't hearing them.

She was not going to abandon another child.

This was not happening.

She felt herself grow dizzy.

"Whoa!" Suddenly Pegs stood behind her.

His great head steadied her.

"I told you!" he hissed reproachingly to the other Animals.

"I told you, I would take care of them."

"No..no" Elphaba was almost senseless.

They were right..but she couldn't just leave Nessa here.

Who knew, when she would be back?

"It is only the ride, Miss Elphaba..and the great hurry."the Ox wrested his hooves.

"You could,could..take your broom and get her as soon as your identity has been cleared ..or send someone to get he.."

Suddenly the young woman looked up.

Of course.

There was someone she trusted.

Someone quick and strong.

Who could bring Nessa to her , safe and sound.

She crossed the room and took a look at the infant sleeping peacefully on the bed.

Everything in her screamed to not leave her.

But Elphaba knew, that it was more the memory oat abandoning her younger child,than her instincts.

A calm voice inside her told her, that there was no safer place for her daughter to be in all of Oz.

And after all..she had always known, that there would be that first night where she would have to leave her children to the care of others.

The thought still hurt her.

But she ignored the pain for now.

The memories of her singing softly to her newborns and wondering how she was ever supposed to be a minute without them.

Elphaba pushed the tears and the thought away.

"Mommie's going out, my sweet." She gently breathed a kiss on the baby's head.

"You better take good care of her..or ..or " her threat came up empty, as tears did overtake her after all.

"Of course we will." The Ox said softly , putting his heavy hoof gently on her shaking shoulder.

With a brief flourish, the squirrel was done in sewing the uniform to embrace the lines of Elphaba's feminine form.

The needle had not harmed her, but it had been cold and uncomfortable against her skin, and she was glad, that the fitting was finally over.

The tiny Animal quickly exchanged the needle for a batch of the white make up, and set about making her characteristic green hue disappear.

And then..it was time to go out into the night.


	27. Chapter 27

A/N:I'm still having problems with the document manager of the site, which is the reason, that I am not commenting as much, as I might otherwise have (Lucky yous;-). It's really, really hot here, has been the past few weeks, which really crowds my style. In good news: I'm really ahead, writing wise. In bad news: I'm so whoozy, that I end up in the bedroom, when I meant to go to the kitchen. And I can't remember what I wanted there in the first place either. Which means, in short, that I have the hardest time editing and am really insecure about the next few chapters. So, let me know if something seems really off, and you think it shows, that I'm a little out of my mind I mean..aside from the usual…

On another note: Enjoy!

ami

Inexplicably, Glinda felt nervous all of a sudden.

Her fingers shook softly as she fastened the earrings to her lobes.

Tiny diamonds were brilliantly catching the last rays of the setting sun and setting her reflection in the mirror ablaze.

The jewelry was matching the tiara and dress perfectly.

Like a forest stream, the emeralds were winding themselves amongst the translucent gems, reflecting the light in a softer, deeper hue.

Winding and flowing down her ears like water, to almost, but not quite, alight upon her shoulders.

_Elphaba._

The stones reminded Glinda of her friend.

Not of her skin, but her eyes.

Those everchanging green eyes.

Dark and mysteriously emerald like the literal stones, they had been, when she had seen her last.

Their hands clasped together.

Parting.

Her eyes had been dark and moving as though she had meant to say more.

But what had lain in her eyes had been unthought..remained unuttered.

It would remain a mystery now, forever.

_Elphie._

Glinda had not noticed, how she had whispered the word out loud, but she allowed herself a moment of weakness and reached her fingers out towards the mirror.

Her mind was permitted to briefly blank out her own reflection and for memory to throw back the image of the other girl at her.

Glinda traced the outline of the beloved green features softly with her fingertips on the cool glass.

"Oh,Elphaba." She sighed softly.

There were the green girl's eyes again, deep and troubled, swimming with the tears she held back.

But as Glinda reached out to touch her face, the reflection dissolved, as though she had disturbed a pool of water.

Her own reflection shifted back into focus.

Immediately the leaden feeling of tiredness returned to her bones, and the numb sensation the dark magic had imprinted onto her left side returned.

Glinda looked down at herself, the dress, the shoes, the tiara and jewelry.

Everything was simply perfect.

Now, all she had to do, was prepare some whimsical and uplifting speech for the opening of the ball and set out for the night.

At the thought, inexplicably, her stomach did another artful somersault.

Whether it was in joy or apprehension, she couldn't say.


	28. Chapter 28

Pegs trotted, slowing, towards a lake by the great, green city.

Thankfully, the whole town was abuzz with the ball and less than keen to be spending time by a body of water, outside of the city's confines, at nightfall.

They were in short, happily alone.

Elphaba dismounted ungracefully as soon as they had come to a stop in the soft sand and surveyed her attire critically.

Splashes of dirt had marred the unblemished whiteness of her boots and pants where it had sprung up to meet her in the wild ride.

Pegs, upon observation, was less white, than he was grey where his sweat had matted his fur.

"Excuse me," he asked her, after taking some solitary steps around, "would you mind, taking the saddle off, for just a minute..I need to cool down some."

And true enough, where the saddle had rested, he was almost black.

He gingerly tried his legs on the soft sand, shaking the cobwebs from his oxygen deficient brain.

Elphaba watched him walk around in a few circles.

Her own head was still swimming with the sensation of the mad run.

Landscapes had rushed by her, and she had to admit, from experience, that the Horse was definitely up to par with her broom, speedwise.

"You're fast." She complimented him simply.

"Thank you." He snorted, shaking his head a little to get his thoughts back in order.

He stopped just short of where she was resting on a stone, swapping away at her boots with a piece of moss.

"And you're a surprisingly good rider" he gave her his characteristic lopsided grin, which only highlighted his exhaustion.

Elphaba smiled back at him, quirking her eyebrow a little.

"I mean, for someone who so abhors horses, that she wouldn't even get on one..",he snorted a little in his teasing.

"I did have riding lessons, when I was younger." The green skinned woman retorted, suddenly turning her full attention back to her boots.

"My ..my sister..she..she was..uhm..handicapped."

Pegs waited patiently for her to continue.

The sudden awkwardness in her voice wasn't lost on him.

"She..she..well.." Elpahaba sighed deeply, swallowing down the hurt and the loss.

"She loved to ride..horses." this time she smiled back up at him, a genuine smile this time.

"They gave her the only freedom from the chair."

Pegs smiled back at her suddenly sad eyes.

"And you had to accompany her, I assume." He smirked.

"Oh yes!" Elphaba laughed a little.

"But I hated it!" her eyes grew mock serious, when she continued.

"I think I scared the horses, and they kept throwing me every chance they had." Her eyes twinkled at her new friend.

Pegs laughed in a high whinny at this.

" I can only _imagine!_" he teased back.

"I bet!" she joked, happy that her thoughts were torn from her dead sister.

Suddenly serious, the Horse noticed, that she was almost done with getting the stains washed out of her tight pants.

Even the boots had begun to take on their old, characteristic gleam.

"Uhm, I think, you still have to check your hair and face.." he carefully advised her.

Elphaba went over to the still surface of the lake, to finish making herself presentable.

"Literally," she thought, smiling to herself, nervously.

There was no way to know how Glinda would react to her, if she would even manage to get to her, get her attention enough for the other woman to recognize her in the non-greeness, if the whole scenario would turn out to be a failure..or..

But for some reason, Elpahaba's heart almost dreaded seeing the blonde more than the prospect of being turned away, unsuccessfully at the gates.

It hammered wildly in her chest.

She had done Glinda wrong.

She knew that..but there was something else.

As the green witch unwound her hair, checking her reflecton in the smooth surface of the lake, she flashed back to the first time, that Glinda..no Galinda then, had done so.

They had become almost instant friends after the party, and Glinda being, well..Galinda..had immediately commenced in instigating a complete Elphaba make over.

She had combed her fingers through her hair, despite her protests, Elphaba remembered, drawn it out, applied make up, and with a quck twirl of the hand put a flower in her hair.

She had looked ridiculous, Elpahaba knew..flowers and her simply did not go well together..

But at that moment,she hadn't noticed.

For there had been something in Galinda's eyes then.

Wonder, amazement ..and..and..and something else.

Her light blue eyes had become deeper, bluer, darker somehow, and...and troubled.

Like a body of water, disturbed.

Elphaba, for a moment, allowed her mind to wander, and it was Glnda's eyes she looked into again, across the time and space..across everything that happened.

And it made her, too, troubled..the look in them.

The look her own mirrored.

But as suddenly as she had sunk back into the memory, she snapped out of it.

Time was tugging at her, the sun was almost completely set, and the ball was soon to begin.

"We have to go!"

She called out over to the Horse, who was still stretching his legs after having taken a deep drink from the warm lake water.

He galloped over to where she was removing a saber with sheath and fastenings and a long, white velvet cloak from the saddle bags.

Throwing the cloak over herself, she fastened the leading military insignia to her belt.

With the shining silver lined cloak and the gleaming, bejeweld sword, she looked nothing short of royal.

Pegs was almost a little proud to carry her into the city like that.

If he hadn't been a Horse, and carrying anyone would have been completely beneath his standing, that was.

She quickly fastened the saddle back onto his back, which was now beginning to return to white in the summer heat.

"Hop on, Bellerophon!" the Horse snorted playfully at her, "we have a ball to catch."

Careful not to spoil their attire, he trotted gracefully into the Emerald city.

A/N: Anna Sewell, the authoress of "Black Beauty", was also handicapped. She wrote the book as a way to express her gratitude towards the horses which gave her the gift of liberty from her impairment. Back in the Victorian age, in which she lived, horses were seen as instruments, a means to an end. By giving "Black Beauty" a mind, and a voice in that mind, she gave horses a form of humanity, made them more relatable and accessible and did more for animal rights, than one might believe. Just a brief side note;-)


	29. Chapter 29

The room, was in fact, decked out with a million candles.

They bathed the great hall into a soft and wavering light.

Glinda could not help but marvel at the sight.

Despite all of her distractions, regarding foes and duties and what not, she still appreciated her handiwork.

Not any of the balls she had attended in her day as a novice n her parents' presence, nor any she had partaken of in her time at the Wizard of Oz' court, could equal the ones she had hosted in her span as ruler.

There were a few things she mastered, and throwing a grand party was certainly one of them.

Definitely.

Glinda smiled happily to herself, allowing her senses to take in the magnificent sea of candles and beautifully woven flower arrangements that adorned the pillars and walls, as though the orchids had grown there naturally.

"Mylady.." a servant came over to her in the rush of last preparations, inquiring about the quality and layout of the food, last minute arrangements..the such.

Glinda could not help but grin inwardly, when he, upon seeing her in her dress and splendor, did a double take, catching his breath.

She still had it.

Good to know.

She calmly answered his questions and surveyed the entrance of half of the nobility of Oz,while she remained invisible, still, behind the great curtains.

Again, she caught her eyes unconsciously scanning for something green… just, just a hint of it.

Her heart even quickened at a pair of green gloves, just before she caught herself.

She really needed to stop doing this, she scolded herself sighing.

Glinda turned away, to give her welcoming speech from the little balcony, fashionably late, as always.

Thus, she missed the rumour that rose among the assembled crowd upon the arrival of a prince, no, a princess, whose family had iced up relations with the Ruler, after their son had been arrested and presumably tortured to death, in the halls of the Emerald Castle.


	30. Chapter 30

**Rating: PG-12, Harsh Language**

If Elphaba had thought, that she had been nervous before..she was beyond nervous now.

All she had needed to acquire admittance to the ball was a haughty quirked eyebrow and a brief glance by the palace guards at her sword and noble cloak.

Pegs had shimmied and pranced a little, too, presumably to show off a high strung, high bred attitude, and the guards had waved her on.

Her heart had stopped for a moment, when they had paused to look directly into her face, but to her surprise, it had been them who had been shocked, not only by the female form under the cloak and a woman's face to greet them, but, as Elphaba realized, they had recognized the parallel row of buttons, and the princely insigna.

Of course.

Fieryo had been their captain for the longest of times.

The look of recognition and then quick sadness as it flickered over their faces was like an echo from a past, that was almost like a dream to her.

Pegs however, did not bother with such musings, and carried her quickly over to the front door.

He gave her a silent nudge for good luck, before he was led away by an appraising stable boy, who petted him and praised his good build under his breath.

Elphaba smiled, as the great white Horse danced a little on the stone steps, flattered, despite himself.

With a fluttering heart and shaking hands she went up the green marble stone steps to the Emerald castle.

The last time she had been in a congregation with as many people, it had been..well, a rather unpleasant occasion..

All she could do, was to keep her shaking hands from frantically wiping at her face to check if her make up was still solidly in place.

Distracted and terrified as she was, she did not look into people's faces to notice the sheer surprise on most of them.

One of the Vinkus!

After the scandal with the Captain of the Guard!

Suddenly, she felt an arm gently take hers.

"_We are ever so pleased to have you."_ A soft voice whispered into her ear.

An old man, dressed in expensive bright green led her by the guards of the door, which immediately snapped to attention at his sight.

Elphaba was immediately alarmed, but calmed a bit as she looked into a pair of kind, grey eyes.

His face was wrinkled by long hours spent in the sun, and there was a calm and patience about him, that made him seem as out of place at this high strung gathering as she felt.

"I..I am ever so pleased to be here." She replied, making her voice as low and slow as she could.

"_They have to take their time to listen to you! And talk low..a low voice..that is the voice for command, not a woman's high squeal!" _she remembered her father's..well..the Munchkinland Governor's voice back in her ear.

Remembering her schooling, she straightened her back and swallowed down her nervousness, so it could form a ball in her stomach, instead of showing n her face and habit.

Elphaba smiled back at the Grand Vezier, who patted her hand appreciatively.

With that they had finally arrived at the great ballroom, which had been decked out with what seemed like thousands of candles.

The effect was quite mesmerizing, dipping the room into a soft light, that wavered like the setting sun playing on the waves of the sea.

There were flowers, too, beautiful and exotic.

They rested on the garishes of the room, as though they had nestled there by a sleight of nature.

Their decent smell pleasantly weaved itself through the room.

"Look,it's Lady Glinda!" someone shouted, and sure enough, there was Glinda the Good, standing on a small balcony, about to give a speech, probably to welcome her guests to the occasion.

Elphaba had been wondering how Glinda would react to her..

Would she be mad, unforgiving, furious..unbelieving?

But she had never spent a thought on how she would react to Glinda in turn.

It had been a while since they had seen each other..

A little over a year, actually.

But it seemed lifetimes.

It was lifetimes.

For the young woman she now saw on the balcony, towering over the crowd had very little to do with the girl she had known in Shiz..or even the opportunist who had stood by the Wizard's side.

This wasn't Galinda anymore..it was Glinda the Good.

Truly the Ruler of Oz.

Her dark velvet dress shimmered in the light like a forest pond, that caught each morsel of light, only to reflect it multifold in all the prisms the colorsphere of green and gold had to offer.

And it hugged her slimmed form, flowing freely like a creek over her skin.

No more ruffles, no more frills, to accentuate and obscure.

Glinda's posture was proud and tall, and it was not just the heeled shoes or even the balcony, that made her shortness of stature forgotten.

It was her demeanor.

She seemed to emit, almost a sort of..of radiance.

"By Oz, she is beautiful."Elphaba whispered despite herself.

She only noticed that she had spoken aloud, when the old man, who stood next to her, gently patted her arm, smiling.

There was a small light of hope glimmering in his eyes.

For whatever reason, he had seemed too to have taken a liking to her and abandoned her arm to make his way towards the front of the room.

"I shall give you my recommendation," he smiled, back at her before he left, and for just a moment, Elphaba saw something like tiredness in his old eyes.

That was really strange, the green witch thought to herself, after he had left.

But her attention was quickly drawn back up to the blonde on the balcony.

"Green really goes good with blonde." Elphaba thought despite herself.

Still a little breathless at the sight of a so changed Glinda.

"Dearest Citizens of Oz," she began n a loud voice, that effortlessly carried itself across the great crowd.

Everyone had immediately hushed, and again Elphaba could not help but marvel at just how easily the petite blonde commandeered the multitudes.

She had always been good with people, they flocked to her naturally, but this, the green girl mused, this, she seemed to have been outright born for.

A great smile spread over her face.

Glinda, who had always been so content to just be pretty and popular..and here she was not only possessing the adoration of everyone around her, but their respect.

Elphaba was proud of her beyond words.

Her heart swelled in her chest, as her smile widened.

"Glinda." She thought to herself.

Who had changed her name on a whim at a train station.

And who was now…

Fulfilling her, Elphaba's, dream.

"Welcome to this wonderful occasion of celebration! Today, as the first ball in who knows how long, I would like to open the dance floor with a very special guest and friend."

Her smile was open and genuine, and Elphaba could feel her heart skip a beat, as Glinda waved not to her, but to a Zebra, which was standing nervously on the floor.

It was decked out in a flawless black and white tux, that managed to, somehow, not clash with its original color and markings.

The Zebra, standing two legged, bowed deeply to her, and joined its hooves in the general applause that erupted from the dance floor.

"Let us be merry, let us be joyful, let us celebrate the Glinda way!" she cheerily shouted into the crowd.

With that, she easily conjured up one of her infamous bubbles, and with some sparkling fireworks, that matched the shade of the blossoms in the room perfectly, descended from the balcony.

She landed gracefully right in front of her dancing partner, who gracefully held out a hoof to lead the way towards the center of the floor.

As she drifted towards Elphaba, the green girl suddenly felt her heart beat wildly in her throat.

"_Don't be silly."_ She told herself sternly.

But she did wipe her suddenly wet palms on the legs of her trousers as unobtrusively as she could anyways.

Forgetting for a moment, that she was wearing gloves.

Just before Elphaba could catch her eye, Glinda turned around and was immediately taken off into a waltz by the Zebra.

Seeing her chance gone for now, the green witch turned away defeated.

She needed to get on Glinda's dance card.

Somehow.

Sadly, she had missed out on too many school dances to know how to get on someone's dance card..pausing she added mentally, or to actually have one.

She should have asked Glinda about this, when they had still been rooming.

The blonde would doubtlessly have been an expert at the matter.

With a quick glance at the dancing couple, Elphaba found, to her surprise, that she wasn't just a little cross, that she hadn't managed to catch the blonde's attention in the multitude, but that she was actually jealous.

Of a Zebra, of all things.

Grunting disconcertedly, she made her way over to the buffet to regroup her efforts and plans.

A palace servant, characterized by a flawless green livree held out a miniscule plate to her.

She took one of the Gold crested napkins and successfully speared a hapless mushroom with a tiny fork.

Munching on her quarry, she settled back against the buffet table and watched the dancing pair from a distance.

To dance…

Glinda would be able to recognize her, and she was sure to have at least a moment of her attention.

But how did one get a dance with the Ruler of Oz?

Elphaba quickly harpooned another mushroom as the plate passed her by.

Her heart beat a little erratically at the thought, that she was supposed to dance with the blonde n front of all these people, but it just as quickly stilled in her chest, as a warmth flooded over her, accompanied by an old sadness.

Her first dance.

Glinda, and how she had detached herself from Fieryo and her friends and had come to stand by her, to dance with her.

Elphaba had been able to tell, that she had felt as awkward as her…if not even more so.

But she had stepped forward into the lime light and danced with her.

Despite everything.

Maybe Elphaba would just cut in..dance card be damned and all.

She tried to brush the nervousness off of her and straighten her attire, when she involuntarily overheard a group of men just by her right.

They were stuffing their faces with some miniscule seacreature, shrimp, probably, and their laughter drifted over to her ears.

"I wonder if she suffocated that guy with her breasts in his sleep!" one jested dirtily.

"Yeah..no wonder relations with the Vinkus are so frozen up.." another replied laughing merrily.

"Ha, you'll see, she'll choose me, and then I'll give her something to choke on!"

The last speaker did not have the time to join in the laughter his friends were indulging in.

Elphaba's fist had connected solidly with his teeth.

She hadn't meant to hit him in the open mouth, but as he had been speaking still and meaning to take another bite off of whatever he was eating, his jaw had been open, and Elphaba had unwittingly freed his breath from the confines of his front teeth.

The men next to him gawked at him as he spit them into his hands.

"You little.." he paused, taking in her attire and then realized that she was a woman.

"Bitch." He murmured, as he advanced a couple of steps towards her.

A part of Elphaba warned her, told her to turn around and walk away.

Let the guards handle it.

But another part of her was simply furious.

And it kept that other, reasonable part, pretty busy in keeping her anger from erupting into magic.

She couldn't even voice her opinion of his persona, her head was only full of anger and empty of words.

Her fists were balled at her sides, and she simply waited for him to make his way to her.

She 'd have a surprise wai…

"Excuse me, is there an argument?"

Glinda's voice suddenly appeared between a couple of bystanders, who immediately parted like the red sea.

Her eyes traveled to the brawny, tall dark man with the sleek hair, who now, subdued, held a pink napkin to his bleeding gums.

Elphaba saw Glinda's nose scrunch up slightly in disgust at the sight of him, but her heart all but stopped, when she saw, that Glinda's eyes were following his dark gaze.

It was resting on her.

Unable to combat her sudden shyness, Elphaba dropped her eyes to the ground.

The room around her had fallen silent.

A stray strand of her artfully put up hair fell into her face and she only blew at it lightly to make it go away.

She knew that there was blood on her perfectly white glove, and she did not dare raise it, lest the Lady Glinda should see.

Her reason fought bitterly with her awkwardness..there was no reason, that she should feel so out of it all of a sudden.

She had known Glinda for years.

Years!

She had ridden miles upon miles..took endless hardships upon herself, just to make it to this moment..

And now..all she wanted to do, was disappear into a hole in the earth.

Pretend, that she had never come, that she, in fact, didn't even exist.

Like she had made Glinda believe..

Guilt washed over her, making her even more uncomfortable.

In fact..here she was..just walkng in to her great and grand ball…messing it all up ..after all that she had done..and..

Suddenly, she felt a hand brush away the single strand of hair, that had fallen into her face.

Glinda carefully tucked it behind her ear.

Her fingers had barely touched her, careful, not to disturb the sheet of white, that covered her greenness.

When Elphaba looked up at the unexpected tender gesture, her eyes met the other woman's.

She had briefly considered, that Glinda had not recognized her in her Vinkus uniform, and her face barely visible.

But the shocked expression, that the Ruler was careful to conceal in the room full of people and the fact that she kept swallowing repeatedly, fighting for composure, told her otherwise.

"Hi." Elphaba said quite simply.

And then she said the only thing that would come to her mind, out of the million things that were rushing through it at that minute.

"Would you like to dance?"


	31. Chapter 31

Glinda stood transfixed before her, and for a moment, Elphaba wasn't sure, whether the other woman had actually heard her.

But a familiar hand, gnarled like the root of an old tree, settled benignly on the Lady of Oz'arm.

"This is the young Lady from the Vinkus, whom I recommended to you, earlier," she heard her unexpected friend from earlier whisper quite loudly, actually, into Glinda's ear.

All heads swiveled to her as if in one motion.

No one paid any attention whatsoever to the man she had injured earlier.

In fact, there were a few young, sturdy men, dressed in green, noble attire just by his and his friends' side and kept their hands in a friendly seeming manner, tightly planted on his shoulder.

Elphaba's eyes locked with Glinda's only to see the young woman nod absentmindedly at the Grand Vezier's words.

Glinda swallowed again, reaching out her bejeweled hand, with the palm facing downwards.

"It would be my pleasure" She said very quietly, her eyes, wide and glittering and incredibly blue.

Elphaba blinked twice, before she reminded herself, that she had, in fact ,just asked another woman to dance, and was probably expected to take her extended hand and lead her.

She clenched her teeth in panic, when she realized, that she in fact, didn't know, how to really dance.

Actually, she didn't know how to dance at all.

She nervously moved forward to take Glinda's hand and walk her towards the center of the floor.

Just great.

But as her hand connected with her old friend's she felt a great wave of calm and certainty wash over her.

This was where she was supposed to be.

Where she needed to be.

And if she would stumble around for the world, to see, so be it.

Elphaba straightened her back and stole a shy glance to her right, where Glinda was striding beside her.

"You look stunning tonight." She said under her breath, only for her companion to hear, while looking forward.

She felt Glinda's hand press hers tightly through both of their gloves.

Much to her surprise, there were tears in the blonde's eyes, when they stopped and turned to face each other.

"So do you." She mouthed voicelessly, just before the music struck up a slow and langorous waltz.

Glinda could feel Elphaba hesitate at the first beat, but quickly drew her with her.

Drawing her in closer, to gain better control out of her passive position, she whispered a quick,"Don't worry, I'll help, just let go, and follow." into the taller woman's ear.

Elphaba relaxed visibly in her arms, and willingly allowed her hands to be switched around into the position of the led in a matter of a heartbeat.

Or waltztact.

Her feet picked up the simple rhythm easily enough, and the green girl actually began to enjoy the steady rise and fall of the cheerful tune.

She could feel Glinda's strength as she guided her across the huge ballroom floor, past a myriad of other couples, that had begun to twirl and sink and rise, like buoys on the tide.

She smelt Glinda's rosy but decent perfume, and saw the small beads of sweat that had formed at the base of her neck.

The candles were pretty and all , but they sure did make the room even hotter in the summer heat, she mused.

Elphaba could feel the other woman relax against her, with each step, and felt her head drop slightly, so that it finally rested its weight completely on her shoulder.

A small curl had freed herself from the blonde's beautifully tied up long hair and had begun to tickle an originally green nose.

And Elphaba had a hard time remembering, when she had been for just a moment..simply this happy.

With the subtlest of turns, Glinda buried her head in Elphaba's neck.

She still kept one eye on the dancefloor, lest the should bump into someone, but could not help herself in drawing the other woman against her even closer.

She needed to feel her, to believe that she was really here.

All of her senses ached for reassurance, while her head grappled with the concept.

With each breath, she deeply inhaled Elphaba's smell.

Of course it had grown slightly different over the years, but the green girl had never been one to go grandly experimental on any smelling oils…and in this way, at least, she had remained true to herself.

She smelled fresh, like new cut grass..like sunshine, and like the rustling leaves in the forest.

There were a few lines of silver and white now in her hair, but it was still as luscious and black as it had ever been.

Her hand lay gloved in Glinda's and there was no way in telling whether it was still calloused from her broomstick or still inkstained and soft, as it had been during their college days.

Her gait, her slight awkwardness was still the same, and Glinda could not help, but smile back at the smile that greeted her, when she rose her head and looked into those green eyes again.

They were dark now, to her surprise, churning a little, but there was a twinkle in them that betrayed the years that had passed between them since their days at Shiz.

"You're a natural dancer, Miss.." Glinda was suddenly unsure what name Elphaba had adopted in her disguise.

Surprised, the taller woman looked back at her.

" I forgot a name.." she whispered playfully back into the blonde's ear.

"Well, Miss Unnamed Princess from the Vinkus" and there suddenly was, after all, a brief hint of bitterness in her voice.

But it was her dream, after all, Glinda decided.

In her opinion, she was probably passed out in her study again, and dreaming it all up anyways..and as such, she did not need to bother with pettiness.

"You're certainly a good dancer." Her sparkling blue eyes rose themselves to Elphaba's and for a moment, nothing existed but the two of them, spinning on a still world.


	32. Chapter 32

Neither one of them had paid any attention to the music, but their feet stilled of their own accord as it grew slower and finally faded away.

"Excuse me.", a soft hand and a gentle voice near her shoulder broke Elphaba out of her reverie.

"May I cut in?" a handsome young prince smiled at her.

"_No."_ was Elphaba's instant reaction, but Glinda's hand on her arm stopped her.

"Of course." Glinda said softly, still not having completely snapped out of the haze, that surrounded the two of them either, but aware, nonetheless of her social obligations.

"Your Highness." She curtsied before Elphaba, a glint of amusement lighting her eyes.

Elphaba mirrored the gesture, unsure of how to take this.

But there was Glinda passing her by, closely, just for a second.

The back of her hand brushed hers, and Elphaba had to swallow hard, almost missing the quick, whispered words.

"_I will see you later."_

Not cluing in right away, she missed the fact, that it was more of a question, than a statement.

Catching Glinda's eyes, as she was whirled away, she only nodded briefly and gave her a short and shy smile.

Her eyes quickly found the floor again, as she blushed and she absentmindedly brushed the errant strand of hair out of her face again.

The gesture brought with it a feeling of sheer disbelief and..elation.

Elphaba couldn't help but shake her head at herself.

The candlelight was probably getting to her..or the lack of food.

At the mere thought, her stomach rebelled loudly in the face of its involuntary fast during the past few days.

Elphaba nervously noticed a few of the nobles, men and women, lay eyes on her, and felt it to be safer to make her way off of the dance floor as quickly as possible.

She tried to catch glimpses of Glinda wherever she could, but the multitude of onlookers and dancers made that enterprise futile after a while.

Carefully checking the area for her previous foes, Elphaba could feel the anger surging through her at the mere thought of them, she had finally made it to the decked out table of delicacies.

Her stomach growled at her again, hungrily, and the faintness in her head probably demanded some attention to that matter.

Leaning against the buffet, and munching on a piece of salad, she absentmindedly tried to catch a glimpse of swirling emerald green.

Her face lit up in an unconscious smile, whenever she caught sight of the swirling blonde.

Suddenly, however, she felt the room grow unnaturally chilly and dark.

To her surprise, none of the others around her were paying any notice to the inexplicable change.

In fact, they were still whispering about her as merrily as ever.

Elphaba felt her skin erupt in goosebumps, as a chill crept down her spine.

"Hello."

A voice, that was almost nothing more than a hiss, greeted her from her right shoulder.

Elphaba's senses tingled in strange familiarity..and yet, she was sure, that she had never seen the..the man before.

Something was slightly off about him.

His eyes were a dusky white in which his irises only lay in longitudinal strips.

They were blue or gray..Elphaba couldn't say for sure, but the look in them made her break out in a sudden sweat..despite the chill she felt.

"She is quite pretty isn't she?" the stranger whispered next to her ear.

At the words, the green girl's heart suddenly clenched in a sudden fear for the blonde on whom the dangerous eyes next to hers were resting.

"Yes." She said, her voice even.

"Talk is, that she is alone..in that castle of hers..weak..and ..lonely…" he spoke straight ahead without looking at her, but Elphaba could not help but feel, that there was another meaning hidden underneath his words.

She simply remained silent, waiting for where he was trying to go with this strange conversation.

"Weak.." he reiterated, almost to himself.

"There are so many men, who have come.." he vaguely gestured around the ballroom, "to protect her..".

He paused again.

"To _rule_ with her…" the single word, uttered with such a hunger to it, now certainly made Elphaba's flesh crawl as if of an unwanton touch.

"And yet..she seems to chose _you_.." there was repulsion in his voice..and anger..but also an offer..still unspoken..wavering in the air.

"What do you want?" the green witch was growing impatient.

"It is not what I want, but what you want." The evil eyes danced merrily at her.

The look made Elphaba positively nauseous.

"A kingdom to rule..a woman to hold..and..and _security_.."he hissed the last word in a laugh.

"Support." He stated simply.

Elphaba was cottoning on, as to where this particular conversation was going to go.

"Support?" she asked evenly, her eyes not leaving the dance floor.

As she caught a glimpse of Glinda swinging by, her heart suddenly meant to beat out of her chest for fear for her.

"Yes.._support."_ his voice had grown calm and very, very silent..and Elphaba could feel the hairs of her neck stand up and bristle.

There was something oddly familiar about him.

He drew his cloak back slightly to reveal a purse full of jewels, but it wasn't the riches that caught her eyes, but the dagger, beautifully ornamented that adorned the belt.

Her eyes fastened themselves to his hands.

Sleek and long fingers, that ended in long and pointed nails.

And she had a vision..no, a memory..of that hand..of these fingers..thrusting another blade, much simpler, much unprettier into a stone wall, far, far away.

"You could.." he continued, not noticing her face growing almost white under the heavy layer of make up,"given the right kind of _support" _he smiled at her, but his pointed teeth made it seem more like a snarl, "also rule by yourself.."

Elphaba's heart stopped in her chest.

"The Vinkus.." he paused, looking back towards the dancefloor, "have, it seems.." he turned back to her, his meaning more than clear, "Still an uneven bill with the House of Oz.."

Elphaba blinked a few times, her heart was about to take wings and become a humming bird it seemed.

But her resolve steeled itself with the sheer hatred she was beginning to have for the..the man next to her.

"How would I rule alone..if I" she again made her voice very low and heavy, "chose to settle accounts."

She gave him the wickedest grin, that she could muster.

"There are ways.." he said, almost chuckling to himself in merriment.

His hand again withdrew the cloak, but this time, it clearly trespassed the purse fastened to his belt and highlighted the dagger sheathed there.

"To pardon, poor and innocent souls." He turned around to her, smiling sweetly.

"Violent as they might sometimes be."

Elphaba smiled back at him.

She took a sip of the cool water one of the waiters had brought her earlier.

It gave her dry mouth the ability back to speak comfortably.

Setting her glass down, she extended her hand to him.

"Pleased to meet you." She said cheerily,

Smiling, he clasped it.

Suddenly a breeze swept through the room, extinguishing all of the candles.

Pitching it in utter blackness.

Elphaba,despite the dark, could see his white eyes widen in surprise, as he felt a strong current flow between them, upon the touch.

"You are not welcome here anymore." She whispered breathlessly into the dark.

Paralyzed, he drew in a deep breath to voice his anger, but no words were coming forward.

His skin began to gleam slightly in the darkness, but thankfully, no one noticed in the bustle and commotion the dancers and servants were in.

Everyone fumbled for the next match, candle..just any. ..source of light.

But then, just as suddenly as the first, a second breeze swept through the room.

It bore the fragrances of flowers, and the warmth of the summer air.

A freshness and greenness that spoke of forests and days spent by the lakeside.

And it reignited all of the candles in a flurry.

When the lights came back on, the stranger had disappeared from Elphaba's side, and she was merely leaning back against the table again.

Enjoying the applause everyone was giving Glinda for that joking and perfectly timed trick.


	33. Chapter 33

Glinda, laughing, made her way over to the buffet, through the dancing and hugely enjoying themselves crowd.

A heavy weight suddenly seemed to have lifted from her chest.

And the hurt she had sustained just last night had been gone without a trace.

"Hey, you!" she merrily sidled up next to the originally green girl, and leaned back against the table with her.

Grateful for a pause in the bustle.

"Enjoying the party?" she asked innocently.

"Hugely." Elphaba turned to grin back at her.

"How's your conglomeration of dance partners?" She asked, smiling.

"Mysteriously," Glinda raised an eyebrow at her."Over half of my dancing list seem to have disappeared."

"Disappeared?" Elphaba asked innocently.

"Yes," Glinda leaned back against the table, resting on her elbows."_Disappeared."_

"Really?" Elphaba rose her own eyebrows in mock surprise.

"Yes,really." Glinda saw the mischief dance in her friend's eyes and grinned back.

"Maybe they found someone prettier, wittier, more beautiful to while away their time with.." she mused jokingly, taking a drink from her own cool glass of water, that a servant had quickly handed her.

"I doubt that." Elphaba said barely audible.

Her eyes had dropped again, to intently study the purple carpeting of the castle.

Glinda swallowed hard at a lump in her throat.

She walked over to the green girl, and gently brushed that rebellious strand of hair out of her face again.

Elphaba looked at her.

Her eyes were soft and vulnerable in the candlelight.

"Come." Glinda extended her hand as the band played up a new song.

Elphaba took it carefully.

"My dance card is miraculously empty..you know." Glinda smiled awkwardly at the other woman.

"Can't let that happen." Elphaba smiled nervously back at her.

Together, they walked into the thick of the throng of dancers, who were swaying lightly to a slow song.

Glinda reached up her hands to circle around Elphaba's neck.

The taller woman quirked an eyebrow at her.

"So, I'm leading now?" she joked at the blonde.

"I have faith in you." Glinda sighed, leaning blissfully against her chest.

She hid her head fully in the crook of Elphaba's neck, and marveled at just how good the other woman smelt.

"And felt.." she added mentally, as a pair of nervous arms gently circled her waist and pulled her in.


	34. Chapter 34

Elphaba was comfortably dizzy with the soft motion of the song and the game of shade and light that the candles were playing on her closed eyelids.

She couldn't tell how much time had passed, when Glinda rose her blue eyes back up to her own.

There was a question in them, she didn't quite understand, but it made her heart beat faster in her chest, and her stomach clench painfully.

"Gl.I.." she began, but was interrupted by the leader of the orchestra, who had taken advantage of a break in the music to stand up and speak softly into his microphone.

"Last dance.." he murmured into the headpiece, before sitting back down.

Glinda looked at her, the question still burning in her eyes, but not making it quite down to her lips.

"Uhm..El..", the blonde quickly caught herself in not wanting to spoil Elphaba's disguise to anyone who might overhear.

There were splotches on the green woman's made up face, where sweat had worked itself into the carefully applied sheet of white, hinting at the darker, original color.

Awkward or not, it was beyond time, that she got Elphaba out of the crowd of people who might recognize her.

Suddenly overcome with a protective tenderness towards the other woman, she wordlessly took Elphaba's hand and pulled her off of the dancefloor.

Glinda scolded herself inwardly for having let her roam out and about amongst so many people, any of which might have recognized her in a heartbeat.

Thank Goodness, most had never cared enough to see beyond the color.

She should have shut the green girl away into her chambers the first moment she had recognized her, the Ruler scolded herself.

The thought suddenly made her blush to the roots of her naturally blonde hair.

And the shyness returned.

Gathering herself up near the curtains, Glinda turned to the witch next to her.

As if seeing her for the first time, she noticed, that Elphaba had filled out her shape, where she herself had lost weight.

The sharp lines of her face and form had grown softer, a look,that was becoming her very well, Glinda had to admit.

The uniform fitted her flawlessly, accentuating her femininity more than hiding it, despite the fact, that it was usually associated with the very male guard of the Vinkus.

The Vinkus.

They really, really needed to talk.

Talk.

Glinda told herself, her eyes raising themselves to Elphaba's very green ones, becoming momentarily lost in them again.

Talk!

Something, both of them had managed, somehow to avoid all evening.

They really needed to sit down, wherefore it was only logical and necessary to ask Elphaba what she needed to ask her.

Right now, before the last song of the evening had ended, and she would need to go up to the balcony again and bid her guests goodbye.

All but one.

There was no reason, that she should be that nervous.

All she needed to do, was hide the green girl away from harm and talk to her.

"Uhm.." she began at the same time, that Elphaba tried to speak.

"May I.." both of them stopped, laughing nervously.

The disguised witch was quicker than her though.

"You go ahead."

Great, just great..

Glinda pressed the hand she still held firmly, noticing, that the palm of the glove was as slick with sweat as her own.

"Uhm,…would you..I mean..uhm..wait..I..I have..have..to say goodnight to..the uhm..dancers uhm..people and.."Glinda swallowed hard.

"Of course I will wait." Elpahaba smiled at her, and there was again, a moment, that only belonged to the two of them, standing outside of the world.

The green girl absentmindedly wiped away that rebellious strand of hair again, which had gotten company as her tucked up braid had begun to unravel.

In the process, she dislodged more of her make up, which quickly made Glinda snap back to her senses in panic.

"Go..go back..into..the hall..damnit." she cursed at herself, but Elphaba's eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"_Wait for me.."_ she whispered, suddenly soft again.

"Wait for me..in the halls of the castle..just..just.._go_."she breathed.

The green woman swallowed.

"Ok." She smiled back at the blonde, now suddenly nervous herself.

Her hands fidgeted a little before turning away from the Lady of Oz, which was a gesture so endearing, that Glinda couldn't quite help herself.

She rose up on her tip toes and kissed her sweetly goodbye on the cheek.

"I'll be right behind you." she smiled bravely.

On second thought, she whistled softly under her breath.

"And there is an old friend, you will likely want to meet."

With that, the petite woman hurried back towards the balcony as the band played the last notes of the song.

As she walked, she quickly harnessed her own stray hair back into its original do.


	35. Chapter 35

Elphaba was almost immedately lost in the semi darkness.

She could faintly hear Glinda through the walls and heavy curtains as the Ruler of Oz addressed the multitude of guests after the last beats of the music had faded.

The walls of the emerald castle were as green as ever, and, thankfully, vacant.

The green woman finally found herself relaxing in the absence of people.

People.

Most of whom were likely to harbor some murderous intent towards her, should they figure out her true identity.

She readjusted the bothersome sword by her side and loosened the fastenings of the cloak around her neck.

It was definitely too hot for those particular insignia, the cloak was smothering her and the sword kept clanging against her boots and legs, but she didn't dare rid herself of them wholly, in case a guard should come by.

And indeed, upon the very thought, there was a shadow moving towards her in the corners.

Elphaba didn't like the fact, that she couldn't see who it was at all.

Flashing back to her brief encounter with the murderous villain earlier, her heart immediately doubled its beat in apprehension.

Some part of her wondered, whether her spell had been breached in any way.

It banned all of evil intent towards the Lady of the castle from its grounds.

Well, it did not disallow people with evil intent towards her, she reminded herself.

Drawing her weapon, she held out the sword before her.

The shining blade caught the flickering of the few candles in the hallway.

"Show thyself!" she commanded in as low a voice as possible, when the shadow made no further movements from the corner into which t had shrunk.

Suddenly something heavy fell from the ceiling to the ground just before her.

Chistery looked at her, non plussed.

He cocked his head to one side, taking in her uncommon appearance, but then flared his nostrils, taking in her scent.

Tears started to his eyes.

"La-a-dy El-pha-ba?" the Monkey queried, its voice thick with tears.

Elphaba dropped her weapon onto the carpet and rushed to embrace her friend.

"Shht, Chistery..it's me, it's me." The monkey clung to her tightly, almost crushing the air out of her lungs.

Her heart broke a little as the Animal wailed in pain and happiness.

Soon she was equally laughing and crying into his eversame red jacket.

"Mi-iss you-u.." the Animal interjected in between sobs.

Unnoticed by either one of them, Glinda had stolen through one of the many curtained entranceways to the hall, after she had said her official goodbyes.

But instead of stepping further forward, she rested by the pillar that supported an opening to the great ballroom.

Quietly, the blonde stood, watching the scene, pressing the back of her index finger frantically to her eyes to still the tears springing forth.

But she could not keep the sobs contained that threatened, no matter how much she tried.


	36. Chapter 36

When the Monkey had finally released her, Elphaba bent down to pick up the disregarded sword from the purple carpet.

She was about to resheath it, when Glinda came towards them out from a hole in the wall it seemed.

"Hey," Elphaba smiled at her.

Her voice was still thick from the crying.

Glinda only smiled back at her, unsure of her own, yet.

She wordlessly reached up towards the white face, that now, after the bout of crying, bore definite marks of green.

"You're a mess." She stated simply, dabbing and smudging at the whiteness, to cover up the worst, just in case they should run into any guards.

She cupped Elphaba's cheek, briefly.

"Let's get you all cleaned up, shall we?"

With that her hand went to take the green girl's gloved one as if by instinct.

Memory lay heavily on Elphaba as they traversed the green halls with the purple carpeting, hand in hand.

The last time, they had done so, she had been beyond nervous at meeting the Wizard, hoping to band together with him, freeing the Animals..being a Team.

All of her life's dreams had lain before her, finally to be fulfilled in a heartbeat.

And then, she and Glinda had run through these halls..hand in hand..fleeing that selfsame Wizard..

While Elphaba had left, Glinda had remained behind..roaming these halls, forevermore..just as she had roamed the forests.

"A lot of green.." she sighed.

Glinda turned to her, bemused, and gave her hand a squeeze.

"You get used to it." She joked.

Gratefully, Elphaba smiled back at her.

There was so much that she wanted to know.

So much, that she needed to say.

She heard Glinda curse softly next to her.

Raising an eyebrow at the unusual exclamation, Elphaba turned to see the other woman limping slightly next to her.

"Blasted shoes.." the blonde stopped to free her hurting feet from the offending garments.

In what was obviously a routine with them, Chistery went over to the blonde, ready to take them from her.

Grinning, Elphaba watched the scenario, only to bend down herself, unnoticed by either one of them, and picked up the smaller woman.

Glinda gasped in surprise.

The green girl only chuckled at the blonde's protests, refusing to set her down again.

Actually, she did prefer carrying a not quite as light as she seemed Glinda, who was continually half jokingly slapping at her, to the memories which lay so much heavier on her heart.

The emerald walls..the purple carpet…the last time she had been here..it had been to free the Monkeys.

It was almost then, that her dreams of teaming up with the Wizard and ending her perpetual loneliness would have come true..if he wouldn't have betrayed her so.

Betrayed all of Animalkind..everything she had believed in.

It would have been Wonderful, indeed.

She and her father..

Glancing down at the blonde, who was now giving her a mock serious death stare, she remembered, that Glinda was probably the key to that part of her past as well.

Making her face even, she pretended to stumble the last steps to the Ruler's chamber.

Her amazement at the string of colorful words that followed the blonde's threats, lest she drop her, was real however.


	37. Chapter 37

**A/N: Thanks for the Reviews! Much appreciated! I do hope, that you will enjoy this chapter as well**** Off in a few hours to the Behind the Scenes at the German Production in Oberhausen. I'm hoping to get some more inspiration there and will post the next few chapters asap. They're already written, by the way. So I'll concentrate on getting the Elphaba actress to switch her outfit with Fieryo's and whisk the Glinda one off into a dance, so I can take a picture of them..hmm..or maybe something else..;-) Stay tuned!xoxo**

Glinda had felt Elphaba's uneasiness.

Of course, she had thought, the castle bore a lot of memories for the green girl.

Memories, which the former wicked witch wasn't as used to as she was by now.

Good naturedly, Glinda had joined in the fun, which had successfully served in releasing at least some of the tension that had gathered itself to attack unsuspecting passersby in the emerald halls.

Incidentally, the memories that were creeping up on the blonde, weren't as distant ones.

Coming back, on soft soled shoes from her early morning tour to the graveyard, hiding from the guards…

Walking by, her feet hurting , from yet another ball...

Or even just muttering to herself, some speech or another.

Glinda, too, had memories.

Unpleasant ones.

Recent ones.

Memories, most of them, of mourning Elphaba.

The constant green surrounding her at all times of the day hadn't made forgetting her, even if but for a moment, an easy task.

The emerald walls had consistently reminded her of her former roommate, bearing the same color.

They had echoed back at her with her loneliness.

And now, now, she was unsure of what to believe.

Had Elphaba really returned, or had she simply dreamt this?

Was she dreaming, still?

Or had she dreamt, the rest?

Had the girl never left?

And now finally woken?

Her heart surely seemed to chose the latter.

There she was, Elphaba, all warm and alive, her heart beating strongly against her cheek.

She could even hear it, almost, through the thick jacket of the dress uniform.

Her pulse beat heavily in an artery at her neck, Glinda was able to see, probably from the strain the taller girl was under, carrying her.

It were odd things like that, that after all, made Glinda believe, at least a little bit, in reality.

They had arrived in her chambers by now.

"Set me down." With a quick look at Elphaba, she saw, that the other woman was looking at her, unsure if the fun was to continue, or whether they would be getting down to business.

Obviously that was something she dreaded as much as Glinda did.

The Ruler of Oz felt the insecurity in the green girl's eyes soften her heart a little, that traitorous organ.

"Please." She added softly.

Elphaba quickly complied, taking in the setup of the room.

Anything that didn't make her have to look at her friend, who now lived here.

"Chistery," Glinda turned to the Monkey.

"Would you be so kind as to make us some tea?"

The time for talking had obviously come.

When Glinda turned back from addressing her request, Elphaba still stood, unmoved, her eyes bright and burning.

Her shoulders were thrown back a little and her lips tightly set.

She was obviously bracing herself.

Sighing, Glinda motioned over to one of the heavily cushioned chairs.

"Do sit." noticing her commandeering tone, she blushed briefly, "If you will." She corrected herself.

There had been numerous people in and out of her official study, and old habits died hard.

Elphaba sat down awkwardly and slowly her eyes traveled from between her hands back to Glinda, who had sat herself down only a few feet away, studying her.

The green woman knew that she needed to make haste, since Glinda had doubtlessly not only sent the Monkey away to make tea, but also to have some private time.

Hand he would return soon enough.

But as much as she tried, words weren't forthcoming.

There was so much to explain, to say..but but the only thing that would come was:

"I'm sorry."

The green witch was still looking at her folded hands and did not notice the change coming over the current Ruler of Oz.

Glinda swallowed hard.

"You're _sorry_." she repeated tonelessly.

Elphaba suddenly looked up at her strange voice.

"You're sorry." Glinda said again, this time a little louder.

Before Elphaba had time to realize what her old friend was doing, a glass bowl flew by her head.

It would have missed her, even if she had not ducked by instinct, but Glinda sure had her attention now.

"You're sorry?" this time it was a question Glinda uttered quietly, as she rose to stand.

She lifted a quite worse for wear looking plant up from the side table.

To hurl its pot in her direction.

The shards joined its predecessor on the purple carpeting the soil mixing in with the jagged edges of glass and broken pottery.

"Sorry!"Glinda yelled with a bitter laugh.

She rose her arms into the air and did a few little dance steps.

"Sorry..sorry ..sorry" she sang.

Elphaba was briefly wondering, if she had gone truly insane now.

A big ball of splinters formed in her chest, making it difficult for her to breathe.

But even before the thought was quite finished, Glinda was at her chair, grasping the armrests so tightly, her knuckles stood out clearly against the white cloth of her satin gloves.

The muscles on her left side, where the dress had left her arm and upper chest bare, clenched with the effort.

"Miss Wicked Witch," Glinda spit at her in a sing song voice, her face mere inches from Elphaba's "would you care to enlighten me, as to what you are sorry for?"

Her blue eyes gleamed dangerously..madly.

Elphaba opened her mouth to speak, but no words were coming forward.

There was still this great big sphere of hurt, pricking her, taking even her voice away.

Tears were burning in her green eyes, but would not fall and release them from their liquid imprisonment.

Disbelief and pain were etched in her face, as the green woman slowly shook her head in defeat.

Glinda unfastened her right hand from the armrest of the chair and ran her tongue along the length of her palm.

She then touched it to Elphaba's temple and in one solid stroke drew her palm roughly down the side of her face, dislodging most of the concealing make up in its wake.

"Oh,look!" she sang mockingly, spinning back into the room.

"It's the Green Girl!"

When she turned her face back towards Elphaba, her eyes were burning with tears.

There was an unutterable sadness in them.

"Guess what?" she suddenly whispered into the room towards the seated woman.

Lunging hastily towards a side table, she took a glass of water she had left there before heading down to the ball.

With a swift motion, she simply threw it into Elphaba's face.

"The green girl didn't melt."

Elphaba's eyes widened.

She didn't bother to remove the liquid from her face.

Instead, her hands fastened themselves around the arms of her chair, in shock.

"_You knew?"_ she whispered.

Glinda looked at her, genuinely hurt.

She bit her lip tightly.

Her voice broke.

"_You thought I didn't?"_

Elphaba's own eyes were stinging with the still unshed tears.

That..that ball in her midst had now dulled into a hammer, that was beating against her numb sides.

"_You…you left me, thinking you were dead?" _Glinda's voice was a mere breath now.

"Well, what were you thinking?" Elphaba almost yelled back at her, recognizing her mistake.

She was beginning to cry in earnest now.

"_That you.."_ Glinda's voice still had that completely soundless, squeaky, quality to it, that made Elphaba want to tear her heart from her chest, simply so she wouldn't feel it hurting there.

"_You..left."_

Glinda, defeated, sat down on the carpet in disbelief.

This hurt more than she had tears for.

Her eyes had found a bland spot on the purple, that they focused on.

"You took your little prince to run away with in the sunset for an eternal holiday, and…and left..me behind to take care of business."

She looked back at Elphaba her eyes swimming.

"Never to return."

"You needed me." Elphaba was still crying, but she smiled at the blonde on the floor, seeing the small opening that she was giving her.

"Really?" Glinda looked at her questioningly.

"I..I could feel you..it..I" she remembered those long nights, spent with a baby in her arms, reaching..reaching out of the window,towards the east..where she knew Glinda was.

Glinda looked at her again, her face blank.

Elpahab wasn't sure if the blonde had felt her, then..if she knew that she was speaking the truth or if she even had an inkling of what she was referring to.

"I needed you?" Glinda looked up at her, her lashes wet with the tears she refused to cry.

"Because of a man or two with dark intentions?"she swallowed back more tears.

Elphaba knew that she was trying to get at something else, but anger took her temper away, before reason could.

"Damn you, Glinda!" she said, now hurting herself , "I..I..left my child behind for you!"

With that she had gotten out of the chair she had felt herself previously rooted to.

The memory had been too much.

Herself, sitting by the candle, reaching out for Glinda..thinking about her..hoping with everything, that she had, that she was alright..convincing herself, that it was better for the blonde, not to know that she was alive.

And all the while an infant crying or two..all the the singing and comforting.

The small hands and the tiny feet.

And a depressive scarecrow at her heels.

It hadn't been the long and blissful holiday Glinda had imagined.

She,too, had been hurting for the other woman's absence.

Startled, Elphaba, realized just how much.

She intently kept studying the fireplace, in which a small fire was still holding up its fight against extinction.

"Ch..child?" Glinda felt betrayal alternate with guilt, at Elphaba's previous exclamation.

The blonde remained seated on the floor, senselessly brushing her hand over the rough carpet.

She couldn't look at Elphaba anymore.

The green woman bit her lip at the tears that were freely running down her wet face.

"_Actually..", _she said ever so softly, _"Children. Twins."_

Her eyes did not leave the fire.

Glinda watched her now, startled at the addendum.

Of course, her form, framed now, by the soft firelight, made more sense.

The roundedness of her hips, the more voluminous chest.

Children.

Glinda swallowed hard.

"_Congratulations."_ She said with a catch in her voice.

"Fieryo must be so proud."she added tonelessly.

Surprised, Elphaba turned around.

"It's..it's.." she guessed what Glinda was assuming.

But the other woman was studying the carpet again, intently, as though she had lost something there.

"Glinda.", Elphaba, desperate, knelt down beside her, and took both of the other woman's hands.

The blonde looked up, sadness entering her eyes again.

"Elphaba, it's ok, I understand.", she swallowed again.

"You are here to help me out with the dark menace, or whatever these impertinent fools call themselves, and then, you'll hop along back to your dream husband and raise your perfect little family."

Despite the bitterness of her words, Glinda put a hand over the white gloved one.

"I'm happy for you." She said softly.

Elphaba looked at her, as though it was her turn to wonder at whether she was awake or dreaming.

Her eyes then fell onto the satin covered fingers that Glinda had put over hers.

She didn't raise them again, as she continued to speak.

"I left him.." she said simply.

Actually, she didn't really know what she was going to do, should she succeed in helping Glinda.

Her plans had been rather, well, limited.

She only knew, that Fieryo had been draining the life out of her, and that she needed to protect Glinda.

But going back to him had never been an option.

The blonde looked at her, not quite understanding.

"For Good." The former wicked witch added.

Now it was Glinda's turn to absentmindedly let her gaze linger on their hands.

Her eyes raised themselves to Elphaba's questioningly.

The green girl knew that she needed to elaborate somewhat.

"I…I don't know, what I am going to do." She stuttered on.

"But..but..I am here..to help you, you know." Elphaba looked at her, the hint of a smile playing about her lips.

When Glinda looked at her, still unsure, she twisted the corner of her mouth up into a lopsided smile.

"If you'll have me, that is.."

Glinda sighed heavily, despite herself.

"That has never been the question, Elph.."she caught herself just in time, before she could utter the familiar endearment, "..aba."

"Of course..of course.." she muttered to their hands that were joined still, " you can stay."

Her voice grew into a vulnerable whisper again.

"_I just don't know if you actually will."_

She trailed off, sadly studying their covered fingers.

"If you don't mind.." Elphaba carefully began, trying to steer the topic of their talk towards more practical matters.

"I will ask Chistery to bring Nessa here." Glinda looked at her blinking twice, not understanding.

"You could meet her tomorrow."

Glinda raised an eyebrow.

"She's my eldest."Elphaba added quickly.

Glinda, equally glad to be edging away from the loaded question of trust between them, raised her other eyebrow to join its brethren.

"You named her after your sister?" she asked incredulous.

"Well, yes." Elphaba shrugged her shoulders and moved to get up from the squatting position, that was beginning to hurt her knees.

"Well, Elphaba..I hate to say it, but" Glinda, getting up as well, with some help from the taller girl, glanced at her sideways.

"You know, I mean your sister.." she saw Elphaba beginning to brace herself for her dead sister's defense.

"She really was quite the..witch."Glinda closed, smiling.

Elphaba laughed loudly, smiling back at her.

As they walked over to the kitchen for their tea, Chistery had been discreet or afraid enough to hide away there permanently it seemed, Glinda asked casually.

"So and the other? Boy or girl? Did you name him or her after your father or your mother?"

Elphaba stopped beside her.

Glinda, noticing her sudden hesitation turned towards her.

"It's a girl..two girls..", she said, "Her eyes suddenly cast to the ground again in shyness.

"Her name is.." and she caught the glinting blue eyes from underneath the hair, that was again, unruly as always, beginning to fall into her face.

"Galinda."

Upon this, the shorter woman grimaced, almost as if in pain.

Looking straight ahead, she simply took Elphaba's hand and led her towards the kitchen, while outside the walls of the emerald castle, the sun was already rising.


	38. Chapter 38

It was strange, this silence between them.

Ever since their days together at Shiz, they had always had something to talk about.

Yes, they had fought.

Plenty..and with the introduction of Fieryo..

Even bitterly.

But there had never been this..

This unnatural silence between them.

Elphaba's heart sunk a little as she cupped her hands around the steaming pot of tea in front of her.

She carefully studied the amber liquid, oblivious of the fact, that Glinda, sitting across the kitchen table, was, in turn, intently studying her.

Some part of the blonde was now finally accepting the fact, that this was, indeed, real.

She was the lone ruler of Oz.

Mysterious powerful people were after her skin.

And Elphaba had returned from the as good as dead.

She took a careful sip of her own milky liquid.

She really was back.

Elphaba.

Glinda shook her head at herself.

The last hours had been surreal to say the least.

The way the green witch had suddenly appeared, with white skin, of all things, and in the uniform of the man that stood between them..

A dashing, young princess in the candlelight.

Glinda sighed into her tea.

The hot air reflected against her face immediately.

No wonder, that her head had been a little out of it, with the lack of sleep and all.

Her cheeks reddened a little as she remembered their close dancing.

The blonde rested them on her palms, watching Elphaba study her plain tea as though it was a textbook, over her own, steaming cup.

Her brain had not been able to process the fact, that the green girl was back, so her body had tried to believe, drawing in close, and trying to feel the familiar form against itself…seeking recognition.

Convince itself by touch rather than logic.

Her heart had known then, Glinda knew..but her mind still had trouble processing the news.

And there were quiet a handful, it turned out.

It was strange..strange, indeed, that Elphaba, now, so unexpectedly, was a mother of two.

It had always been silently agreed between the two of them, that Glinda would be the one to get herself married and have children, plenty of them, while Elphaba would go on to, well, greater things.

Change the world, become a scientist, a professor, or something.

Children and a husband had always been secondary to her career aspirations.

Or tercerary..or..well..at the bottom of a very, very long list.

The woman in question allowed her gaze to travel to the window again.

Probably thinking of her daughters, Glinda thought.

One who was named after her, she reminded herself, allowing her own eyes to follow and settle on a graying sky.

The fact still touched her.

Elphaba's youngest had been named after her old self, the bubbly and happy girl that had loathed her green roommate so much upon their first meetings.

A small voice in her mind piped up, wondering if history would repeat itself in that aspect.

Elphaba had left the little girl, after all.

Presumably with Fieryo.

Glinda knew him.

She knew him well.

Knew him better than Fieryo probably knew himself.

She had known him for enough a year, to know, that he would not have let Elphaba go with both children.

He loved fiercely and with great loyalty.

Not her, as it had turned out..but still…

He would be a great father.

Glinda had assessed this fact many an afternoon spent traversing the Castle's Gardens, while he was out looking for an emerald woman.

And Elphaba..

Glinda found herself wondering what kind of mother she was.

Her eyes settled on the half green, half white face again.

There was a gentleness in her, that most people had always chosen to overlook.

It had been visible in her never tiring patience with her very tiresome sister.

The great love she held for people..most of whom didn't deserve half of it.

Glinda studied the profile of a green jawbone.

She had put on some weight, which had successfully managed to soften her sharp features, and her eyes held a vulnerability and tenderness, Glinda had but rarely seen there before.

Her features were a blotchy white.

Especially where Glinda had rubbed the artificial color off before, stretches of green skin were finally clearly visible.

Somehow, of all things, this calmed the blonde.

It made it so much easier, to really believe that it was Elphaba, the real, live version of Elphaba who was sitting before her.

Not just a dreamed up, wishful thinking, or even magicked here by evil designs, illusion.

The collar of her uniform jacket had been loosened as had been the first few buttons.

A patch of unmarked emerald skin was visible just underneath her throat.

Real and unmarked.

Glinda had been surprised, when Elphaba had finally taken off her gloves to cup her hands around her tea.

They lay next to right hand on the table.

One of them smeared with traces of blood.

Glinda did wonder what had prompted such action from the other woman, but chose to not ask, sensing, that she did not want to hear the answer.

What amazed her though, wasn't the blood stain on the white, but the fact, that no green hands emerged.

Elphaba had even taken enough care to conceal her hands, lest the gloves should fail her disguise.

It showed her agitation and fear over a possible discovery.

Glinda could only guess, what it must have taken the former Wicked Witch to walk into a ballroom full of people, not few of whom had set out against her with pitchforks only a few months prior, with only a thin veneer of color to protect her against their vice.

A part of her wondered, why Elphaba had never bothered with using that solution to her greenness at Shiz..or even prior in her life.

But she knew the other girl well enough, to know, that this whole masquerade was against Elphaba's very being.

It wasn't only the greenness of her skin, that had defined her..but she had always chosen to be who she was..do what she believed in, not act according to the conformities or wishes of others.

Therefore, it had never been a choice really.

The greenness only had given Elphaba the chance to be even more just exactly herself.

Glinda smiled to herself.

The girl she had known might even have painted her skin green for a statement just like that.

She defied everyone who didn't manage to look past the glaring color anomaly.

And she defied them fiercely.

Elphaba, forever the judge and conscience of society.

No wonder, that it had been quite the chore to make her popular, back in the day, Glinda sighed to herself.

And the blonde had to admit, just how sad that was..had always been.

It hadn't been Elphaba who had been strange or wrong somehow..but society at large.

There she had been, in plain sight, in a ballroom full of people tonight..and no one had recognized her.

Thank goodness..but..

Glinda knew, for a fact, that there were some of the witch hunters among the crowd, who were bound to have seen Elphaba at least once..

But no one had, even then, seen past her greenness.

Cared to.

And now, the white, pretty woman, was a different person to them altogether.

Glinda took another sip of her tea.

They would be faced with the task of either concealing Elphaba, hiding her, or disguising her again, soon enough.

Mem would be making her way towards them in under an hour.

And Glinda knew, that she needed to get ready for a new day of obligations to start.

There was a pain in her at the thought.

As much as she had wanted, yearned, begged the skies for Elphaba to come, and help her, live with her, keep her company, and just share her day to day life at the beginning of her term as Ruler of the place.. in these endless and empty halls…

There was, ironically, a pain now, that her wishes were fulfilled after she had given them up.

All the pain of abandonment, solitude and hopelessness were concentrated in certain kind of bitterness that she could almost literally taste on her tongue.

And then..she was also mortally afraid, lest she should grow attached to the green girl again.

Her heart had been broken twice, by Elphaba's abandonment.

She wasn't going to let herself get pulled back in by their easy banter, and the very comfortableness of her company, just to have her disappear again, as soon as she had gotten used to it all and begun to relax.

Last night, the joking, the dancing..

It had been a mistake.

They had simply slipped back into their old familiarity, out of habit, out of awkwardness for anything better to do…to say.

And, after all, because Glinda had been too shocked, to realize, that it had all been real.

This was the woman, who had gone away, and let her mourn her, she thought bitterly.

And she had been that girl also, who had flown away, because Glinda had not shared in her particular dream.

Elphaba had betrayed her, by living the life she, Glinda, had dreamed of, with the man she had chosen to live that dream.

The blonde sipped at her tea..

Of course, she would not send her away.

A small voice in her mind whispered, that she needed the green witch, but Glinda shushed it quickly.

She knew, that she mustn't become dependent on her.

Again.

The Ruler of Oz swallowed hard.

She had been, hadn't she?

But no..no more of that.

Elphaba and her daughter, of course, were welcome as long as they would stay.

Oz knew, that Glinda could use some relief..especially on the whole dark forces magic front.

It would make her life just so much easier.

But she vowed to herself to harden her heart against the green woman.

She mustn't..she simply mustn't grow attached to Elphaba again.

Her heart betrayed her resolution, when she suddenly found brilliantly green eyes stare back at her.

Oh, this wasn't going to be easy.

But she mustn't.

She quickly tore her own away to stare out of the window her old friend had looked out earlier.

She simply mustn't.


	39. Chapter 39

„We have to go back to my room."

Glinda glanced briefly at the clock over the kitchen door.

The light bluish hue the sky had featured previously was already giving way to a bright yellow, heralding another warm summer's day.

Mem would arrive soon to the interior workings of the castle, and the only way to guard Elphaba from anyone's eyes until they figured out another solution to the fact, that almost all of the Ozian population were after her very green skin, she'd have to withdraw to the only place even Glinda's old confidante never set foot in.

Her bedroom.

"Your room?" Elphaba could not suppress the twinkle that stole into her eyes.

Glinda had made it sound as though she was hiding her from her parents.

The blonde sighed exasperatedly.

She mustn't get into the banter.

No joking back and forth..

Of course she knew that she sounded as though they were at her parents' house and she was twelve.

"Come." She briskly got up and held out her hand for Elphaba to take, suddenly nervous with each passing minute of what might happen, if Mem would be just a little too early.

Elphaba slowly got up and took the blonde's hand, a question in her eyes as to the sudden hurry.

"Mem is going to be here soon." Glinda offered in way of explanation.

Elphaba's eyes widened.

"_The _Mem?"

She allowed Glinda to pull her along with her and matched the shorter woman's hurried footsteps easily.

She had only briefly met Mem in their days at Shiz.

Even though the green girl was foggy as to what the old woman looked like exactly, she had a very clear memory of her fierce protectiveness over Galinda.

Elphaba had been making more than sure to never violate Glinda's side of the room, or abuse her too badly verbally, even when they had been less than friendly.

After assuring the old woman that her skin condition wasn't contagious, Elphaba had been lectured for over half an hour on the do's and don'ts in the vicinity of Glinda.

Of course she hadn't kept to all of them.

But she had, actually, made sure, that Glinda never had anything explicit to complain home to about.

The stern glint in the old woman's eyes had haunted the green girl, and was actually, now that Glinda mentioned it, haunting her still.

Glinda walked briskly back to the room they had just vacated before relocating to the kitchen.

Chistery was already busy straightening up the tumultuous demeanor of the sitting room.

He was about to sweep up the shards of the broken bowl and pot Glinda had hurled at the green witch earlier, when both women bust through the door.

Startled, expecting another violent argument, Chistery looked up at them.

Glinda and Elphaba both smiled at him reassuringly.

The smaller woman let go of an originally green hand to unlock the door to the room leading off from the official sitting room.

A very unruly study met Elphaba's eyes.

Books were lying this way and that, some of them lying open and discarded on the floor, others leaned unruly against each other on a shelf at the right hand wall.

And there were sheaves of paper all over.

Some of the paper was scribbled on, even in the margins, the writer obviously not bothering with a new page.

There were pages upon pages, wedged inside the books, littering, balled up, under the desk..

Everywhere.

A few old tea cups, complete with stained rims and an occasional mark of lipsticked lips upon them were crowding on the desk.

Some even kept the books on the shelf company.

Elphaba gaped, open mouthed.

She couldn't quite believe that she was in _Glinda's _room.

Books and papers!

Of course, the mess was typical, but she had differed little in that aspect from the blonde during

exam times.

The only thing that actually made her believe that Glinda really lived here, were the lipstick marks on the coffee cups.

Glinda's color, and lips.

Aside from that..Elphaba was incredulous.

She meant to turn to the blonde, but Glinda had disappeared beyond an arc, that led to another room.

Unsure if she was allowed to follow, Elphaba did so anyways.

She almost suspected a chamber full of Glinda's former dead wives..well, husbands, to emerge around the next bend.

Much to her relief, it was only Glinda's bedroom that greeted her.

It was spacier than the room they both had shared at Shiz, but not overly so.

A big bed rested by the far wall, with a simple side table and pretty lamp on it.

Against the wall to her left was a big sofa and a fireplace next to it.

Against the wall to her right was a window with an armchair and a matching side table with an identical lamp.

Newspapers were littered over the small structure, which in addition, also held a tea cup or two.

After briefly taking in the room, Elphaba's gaze traveled back to a very busy Glinda.

The petite blonde was busy raising the heavy mattress from its resting place.

Keeping it hoisted up with one arm, she groped with the other for something that was obviously hidden underneath it.

Suddenly, the weight of the mattress disappeared from her hand.

Glinda looked up, only to see, that Elphaba had relieved her of it, now holding it up to her own height.

Muttering to herself, the blonde half crept under the soft workings of her bed until she had found what she had been looking for.

"Here."

Standing back up, she thrust the heavy book against ELphaba's chest, before the green witch even had had a chance of setting the mattress back down properly.

Grasping onto the tome by instinct and allowing the mattress to drop with a thick thud, Elphaba only stared after a quickly exiting Glinda.

Wondering at her friend's strange behavior, Elphaba absentmindedly allowed her gaze to travel to the book in her hands.

_The Grimmerie!_

The green witch had to resist the urge to hug the book back to her happily.

She cradled it in the crook of her left arm, flipping through it with her right, and absentmindedly noticed, that it was actually heavier, than either of her children.

There it was..her flying spell!

And there..there was..and she had completely forgotten about..

For the longest time, The Grimmerie had been Elphaba's only friend.

She had felt,in her early school days, alone and shunned by society, that Dostoyevsky, Nietzsche and the likes were her only friends, reading their words had made her feel decidedly less lonely, and she carried tomes of theirs around, wherever she went.

The Grimmere had been an altogether different matter, of course, the book and her…they actually did have some kind of relationship.

Elphaba could tell, that it was just as happy to see her, as she had been.

But there was another friend, made of flesh and blood, that she had to go and see about.

Glinda's behavior did worry her.

Shutting the book with a goodbye smile and a thud, Elphaba set off to find the Ruler of Oz.

The weight of the Grimmerie dragged on her left arm.

It made her remember, just how tired she was.

She could see through the study's courtyard window, that it had already become fully light outside.

But where was Glinda?

Her eyes, growing accustomed to the clutter of the large room finally spotted the blonde in a far corner of it.

There was a mirror against the wall, eye level with the small woman, and in front of it, was a petite dresser.

Glinda had obviously just taken off all of her garish nightime make up, and was now in the process of carefully reapplying her less gaudy daytime mask.

Elphaba stopped in her tracks, startled at how pale and drawn the other woman looked without any layers to hide behind.

She watched her dab a soft brownish color to her cheeks, before highlighting them with a rosier shade.

Even the deep, dark valleys beneath her eyes gradually disappeared under Glinda's expert hand.

The blonde watched the green woman watching her through the reflective surface of the mirror.

Elphaba's face still was a mess of green and white.

Her jacket and the small patch of green skin showing continued the unusual color pattern, right down to her hands, which were already beginning to show their greenness as well.

The green and white contrasted well with the brown leather of The Grimmerie, Glinda mused.

She chose to catch Elphaba's eyes through the mirror, after a few minutes.

"Want some?" she asked gesturing with the make up, signaling, that she had noticed, that the other woman was watching her.

"Uhm,"..Elphaba looked away, embarrassed.

Her eyes however, had suddenly alighted on something familiar.

Elphaba picked up a sheaf of neatly bound papers.

They bore her handwriting.

The neat version of her handwriting.

Notes from 's class.

Lost in time for a moment, she tried to piece together exactly when she had taken them.

Her glance traveled over shyly to the woman still standing by the mirror.

Had they already been friends then?

What about Fieryo?

She flipped through the pages with one hand, reluctant to let go of the book in the other.

Of course, she had only had her moment with Fieryo after had been taken away.

She sighed.

If they hadn't had that moment..

If Dr. Dillamond hadn't been taken away…

Her gaze rested on the back of Glinda's head, lost in thought.

What if?

What then?

Glinda's hair was still as blonde as ever.

It was hers, the ravenly black hair, of course, that had already started to bear the signs of age.

It was actually so perfectly black, it glinted blue when the moonlight struck it.

Elphaba wondered absentmindedly, if Fieryo had remarked on it one night.

But with a start, she looked up, catching Glinda's eyes which had been studying her intently through the mirror.

No, it hadn't been Fieryo, who had noticed the blueness of her hair, when the moon struck it just right.

It had been Glinda.


	40. Chapter 40

**A/N: The #&%$"! document manager to this site has the tendency to swallow words, as I have mentioned before..in the past chapter has been the victim. Didn't want to keep this irony from you..sigh..any advice to dealings with the darned thing are very welcome..sigh.**

„Make yourself comfortable."

With a sweeping motion of her hands, Glinda encompassed her study and bedroom.

Elphaba had been silently studying the Grimmere at Glinda's desk, while the blonde had finished getting herself fixed up for the day.

The green woman quickly looked up at her questioningly.

"You haven't slept at all." she remarked drily.

Glinda raised an eyebrow at her, daring her to continue voicing her concern.

"I have business to attend to." She cut her off quickly.

"Ask Chistery if you want anything to eat or need anything else." Her eyes held the other woman's for just a moment, before she looked out at the bright daylight that greeted her through the window.

She sighed.

"Get some sleep."

With that she went brusquely out of the door.

Elphaba's eyes remained on the door, her mouth hanging open.

She tried to focus back on the Grimmerie, but found that she couldn't concentrate.

Of course it was nobler to keep Glinda company in her wakefulness, and use her time to make some headway against her..their unseen enemies.

But Elphaba sensed, that they had been utterly confused by her presence and were subdued for the moment.

There was a calm spreading through her.

They were safe for now.

The green woman sighed and leaned back in her chair, closing the book in front of her carefully.

The conversation with Glinda from last night replayed painfully in front of her inner eye, and she had had to admit, that her plans had been rather short sighted and undetailed.

She also remembered the unwholesome stranger who had crept up to her side, his unhealthy and slightly off appearance, her primary adversary, and the fact, that over half of the people on Glinda's dance card had disappeared, after she had exercised the protection spell.

Blushing, Elphaba quickly looked out of the window, only to catch her own marred reflection n the glass.

She wasn't going to solve all problems today, or even close to today.

There would be a lot of research to be done on the nature of her adversaries, and she needed to work with the Grimmerie to find and expand on some more protective spells.

And she needed to get her baby girl back to her.

Elphaba absentmindedly rose her hands to her breasts, which were beginning to hurt a little at the thought of her child.

The lack of food and the stress and exercise had kept her safe from that particular problem, so far.

But her heart also ached at the thought of her little girl so far away.

She needed to ask Glinda if it would be alright for her to send Chistery away for a few days.

Her eyes widened as she also suddenly remembered Pegs.

There was no doubt that he would be more than comfortable and well taken care of in the royal stables.

But he would want to know how last night went and what the plans were for the next few days.

And she could hardly go and see him..not like she was.

Her eyes found the reflection of her own whitegreen face again in the glass of the window.

Strangely enough a soft breeze caressed her face from where a pane was missing, but she didn't ponder on that thought for too long.

Glinda's carpet also looked a mess, with holes singed into it, here and there.

Well, and then of course..the whole place was..

Taking a look around, the green witch sighed.

The new day promised to be rather hottish again, judging by the feel of the wind drifting over from the sea.

She could already feel her rather thick uniform jacket sticking to her again.

Her glance traveled over to the small bathroom that hid in a corner of the study, where Glinda had freshened up before.

Of course.

She would get some order back into her head, by getting her surroundings into order, the green witch decided.

"Make yourself comfortable." Glinda's words resounded in her head.

Well, the best way to do that, was to get this mess in order, that way, she could also get a first impression on what kind of books and research facilities were on hand already.

Jumping up from her chair, Elphaba shrugged the tiredness out of her bones.

She knew it was senseless for both of them to stay awake, but she knew that she had disappointed and hurt her friend more than she had imagined, and well, she wanted to start to make it up to her.

Unfastening a few more buttons of her jacket, the green woman set to work.


	41. Chapter 41

Glinda found her thoughts straying out of the window again.

The young man in front of her kept animatedly rattling on about the self built rain basins of his homestead while throwing a shy smile in her direction every few minutes.

All the Ruler of Oz could do to keep her hands from harming herself out of sheer boredom was to allow her thoughts to stray a little.

They wistfully, by habit, took her right to her bed.

The soft cushions, the comfortable mattress, the smooth blanket…

She caught herself just in time from sighing at the thought of getting a few minutes of sleep in.

Of course, she reminded herself, her bed was occupied by a green woman.

Right now.

She smiled back at the young man sitting in front of her.

He was now, of all things going on about his self built compostary.

She wondered how he would react if she chose to reveal to him, that she was hiding the infamous Wicked Witch of the West.

He gave her another flirtatious smile, and before she could reign her mind in from the thinking the thought, it involuntarily added:

"In my bed."

Glinda blushed despite herself, which made the young man across from her throw back his shoulders, encouraged in his pursuit of her affection, and tell her about his self built irrigation system.

She blinked twice, before focusing back on the matters at hand.

Her eyes strayed out of the window again, where another hot and rainless day was heralding a ceaseless continuation of the drought that held Oz in its tight grip.

"So, how did you circumnavigate the problem of the rocks again, and keep the dug trenches from washing out?" she asked, suddenly interested.

A few hours and several interviews and meetings later, Glinda the Good made her way back to her study.

She needed to make a list of the things she meant to look up, today.

Knowing, that Elphaba was going to take care of the whole unseen magical threat problem, actually put a spring back in her step.

She would miss the Grimmerie and the magic, but a large part of her was simply happy, that she could focus her energies back on some other urgent matters at hand.

There were some books, which she would require Chistery to get for her, and some she would have to order out on.

And having the original interpreter of her own handwriting around would surely proof itself worthwhile, too.

There was definitely a reason why her old and new roommate had chosen to copy her notes into a painstakingly neat hand once in a wihle.

A part of Glinda still couldn't believe that Elphaba was back.

She had spent the better part of the day trying to shake the disbelief, that while she was walking through the emerald halls, the green witch was actually hiding out in her room.

A smile involuntarily stole itself across her face at the thought, but a fierce anxiety gripped her heart at the same thought.

What if her head was playing tricks on her?

What if all of it, had been a trick?

But a deep calm and happiness inside of her negated these fears quickly.

But what..much worse..

What if Elphaba had gone again?

Glinda felt tears rise to her eyes, as invisible hands constricted her throat.

She almost ran to her rooms, all of a sudden.

The ante chamber was undisturbed.

Nothing, except a missing bowl, bore witness of the events the night before.

Nothing.

Even the much abused potted plant had been reset onto its characteristic spot.

She briskly walked over to the locked door that separated this semi private room from her very private ones.

Where something very special was hiding.

Something very precious.

But her hand stalled on the door handle.

What if Elphaba had left again?

Glinda tried to keep from crying.

She couldn't bear that again.

No, she simply couldn't.

All the desolation, the fatigue and hurt of the last months caught up with her.

She simply couldn't.

Just before she sank back down onto the carpet in her desolation, she caught herself.

"Damn you, Glinda the Good, you can do this." She mentally talked sternly to herself.

"You can't wait out here forever. And yes, you can..you can bear this..you_ have_."

Steeling herself against her heart, that beat more than double time, Glinda went into her study.

Surprise made her pause in the door.

The room was _neat_.

There was a tray of old coffee cups, most of which she could only remember dimly ever using, just by the door.

Aside from that, books and papers were neatly ordered on her shelves, her desk was sorted, and there wasn't a piece of paper on the floor, or in fact anywhere it didn't belong to.

Even the windows were sparkingly transparent.

But, she realized, with a quick start, there was no Elphaba anywhere to be seen.

Swallowing the fear n her throat back down, she carefully went over to her bedroom.

The bed had new sheets and covers, and was prettily made, all of the newspapers on the side table were stacked, and all surfaces sparkled almost as much as the windows.

But there was no infamous green witch in her bed.

Glinda swallowed hard at the panic settling in, when she suddenly heard a door open behind her.

Elphaba was toweling her wet hair, dressed only in a pair of white, slack cotton pants, that were decidedly too short for her, and a T-shirt, that left her midriff almost bare.

_**Shizzzz **_was artfully embellished on its front in broad black letters.

Glinda felt so relieved to see her, that she had to suppress the urge to hug the woman fiercely to herself and make her promise never to scare her like that again.

But her old college sports T-shirt caught her eye and reminded her painfully of a past long gone by.

She took a step back, grappling with the different realities of the here and now, and the back then.

However, Elphaba's emerald skin, generously displayed, calmed her ragged nerves somewhat.

It was really her, and she was really here.

Now.

The blonde sighed relieved, startling the green woman somewhat.

"You're back." Elphaba stated somewhat surprised.

Glinda bit her lip.

"It's good to see you." She said quietly.

Elphaba, guessing at what she was hinting at, smiled awkwardly back at her.

Trying not to get lost in the uncomfortableness of the moment, she quickly took Glinda's hand.

"Look," she said, pointing to the first shelf on the right.

"Here is all of the literature on farming." She playfully winked at the blonde.

"There is actually quite a lot of it, if I would have know your secret passion for the subject, I wouldn't have given you a book on_ fashion", _she mock derisively spit out the word," back in the day.."

Glinda slapped her playfully on the shoulder.

Neither one relinquished the other's hand, as Elphaba continued her tour of Glinda's now well sorted inventory.

"So what do you say?" Elphaba smiled at Glinda after a few minutes, obviously asking her for some kind of reassurance, that she hadn't traversed too deeply into her personal space, and hoping for some kind of recognition for her work.

Glinda quckly released her hand and sat back down on the chair, next to the newspapers, that, as it turned out, had been not only stacked, but sorted by date, today's on top.

"You didn't have to do that.", she looked helplessly at Elphaba, resting her hands in her lap.

The green woman only grinned at her, folding her arms across her chest, and leaning against the doorframe.

"I know.. that what makes me so nice." She retorted grinning.

Glinda only rolled her eyes at the green skinned woman across the room, but couldn't help a smile back at her old friend.

"You're not nice." She muttered more to herself than to her, picking up today's paper and quickly trying to lose herself in it.

As expected, the headlines were a very large green and all about the ball.

Opening the paper, she turned back to Elphaba.

"We do need a way to make you popular, by the way..you can't hide here..forever.", she said, suddenly sad.

Forever was such a strong word with the two of them.

When even tomorrow might not be a possibility.

Glinda sighed, unwilling to let her mind drift into that particular direction.

Absentmindedly, she scanned the paper for the newest Ozian news.

And froze suddenly.

Elphaba who had been watching her, still leaning against the doorframe, defeated, started up in alarm.

"What is it..is something wrong?"

But before she had made her way over to Glinda, whose eyes had just been glued to one page, the blonde had already closed the newspaper.

"No..nothing..just..ehm..ehm.."Glinda could see from the intense look in Elphaba's eyes, that a weak excuse would be on equal footing with no excuse.

"Politics..one of the disappeared gentlemen from last night..was a..a friend..you know.." she fumbled.

"Really?" Elphaba quickly tore the newspaper out of Glinda's hand, who shrugged with a sigh.

"That might give us a lead on our investigaton!" Elphaba stated excitedly.

But as she turned the page, her eyes too, stilled.

"Oh."

Glinda threw her hands up in the air.

She had known, that Elphaba wasn't going to be taking this well.

Her face was already taking on a decidedly darker shade of green, coloring it almost purple or black as she progressed in reading.

Glinda, who'd only had a chance to glance over the pictures and the headlines, before ELphaba snatched the paper away, sidled up next to the taller woman.

She gently pushed her into the chair, she had just vacated, so she could read comfortably over her green shoulder.

The article had been announced in bold letters as the grand news from last night's ball, that the newspaper hadn't meant to reveal on the first page, trying to boost sales, obviously.

It featured a huge picture of Glinda and Elphaba on the dance floor, with Glinda's head buried n Elphaba's white neck, which her arms were circling.

Glinda had been frozen, because the last thing she had needed was for the entirety of Oz to have a chance of a good look at Elphaba, but now, that she had the leisure to study the picture further, she congratulated herself on the elaborate hairdo she had had the night before.

Because of the heat, she had opted on putting her curls up, which had effectively managed to completely conceal Elphaba's face in the picture.

Maybe the editors had chosen this picture, too, to highlight the headline about the mystery princess from the Vinkus, who had ridden in on an elegant white steed, to single handedly steal the Lady of Oz's heart away.

Glinda could hear Elphaba groan next to her, as she read on about the constant and long quest to find the Lady a suitable suitor.

There were a few brief interviews by some of the less successful in the matter, nobles of Oz, all of them who highlighted Elphaba's beauty and manners and wished the happy pair nothing but the best.

Glinda smiled at a few of them, whom she by now knew very well, and guessed at how badly their pride must have been hurt, but also marveled at their grandness of heart.

However, when she got to the end of the page, which had, obviously, made Elphaba moan in embarrassment, a hand flew to her mouth.

"As the surest proof of having gained the Lady's favor, must be quoted one of the stable boys in the royal castle, who spoke in the highest tones of the noble steed the princess possesses. Even this morning, the fine animal had a healthy appetite for the most select of oats.

Making one wonder, where its owner had spend the night, invisible to the eyes of all but one, and whether she, too had a healthy appetite."

Glinda suddenly realized, that she was standing a little too close to Elphaba, who had now returned to studying the picture and scanning through the remaining pages.

Her primary reaction, after her first embarrassment had faded, was one of shock.

They_ knew_ that Elphaba was still in the castle.

They knew because her horse was still here.

Glinda stopped in the subconscious and well practiced pacing of her room.

Hold on.

"You rode here?, she asked, incredulously into the silence.

She had been borne witness on one or two occasions, when Elphaba had been more than convincing on the matter of her horse phobia.

"Yes." Elphaba, obviously just as glad at the change of subject smiled feebly back at her.

"I..I mean on a horse?"Glinda couldn't quite believe it.

"Well, actually a Horse..but yes." Elphaba held her eyes only for a moment, before studying the singed carpet again, briefly wondering what had happened to it.

"I was in kind of a hurry." She said quietly to the floor.

Glinda watching her, bit her lip.

There was a silence between them for a moment, before Elphaba spoke again, breaking the tension.

"Actually, actually.. I was going to ask you, if you could check on him, since I can't walk around the castle freely, although," her eyes fell back onto the newspaper, again." I am not sure at all about how freely I can move around and it does seem, that he is doing just fine."

She gave Glinda another tense smile.

And for a few rapid heartbeats, Glinda could feel the fear and anxiety roll off of the most wanted Wicked Witch in all of Oz..

She quickly went back over to Elphaba, appreciating, that she wasn't suggesting to leave, to decomplicate matters.

She put her hand on a green arm.

"Don't worry." She said softly, seeing Elphaba fidget with her hands anxiously in her lap again.

"This might actually be a good thing."she smiled at the green woman who rose her eyes up to hers.

"How?"Elphaba asked helplessly.

Glinda resumed pacing the study.

"Well.." her mind ran furiously.

But an idea had formed there.

"The most celebrated are the rehabilitated " she sang, smirking.

Elphaba's eyebrows shot up.

"Glinda..we.."

But Glinda smiled back at her.

"Trust me on this."

"No one recognized you, or people would be running the door down already." She reasoned simply.

"So we'll just let the mystery around you simmer for a few more days and..we'll see."

The mischievious sparkle in her eyes didn't forebode too much good things for the green woman to come.

Elphaba was insecurer than ever.

Glinda saw her hands fidget nervously in her lap again.

She quickly went over to Elphaba and bending down kissed her briefly on the cheek in reassurance.

"Don't worry.. and send Chistery to get your little girl. You must be missing her terribly..and we need her here for the plan to work."

There was an old promise which the blonde had yet to fulfill.


	42. Chapter 42

Elphaba meticulously studied a piece of paper in front of her.

It was covered in neat and close handwriting.

However, upon closer examination, words of seeming gibberish were interspersed with the text.

Elphaba carefully read the text through again, took another look at the Grimmerie lying opened next to it, and then spread the fingers of her right hand slightly.

She wiped the hand through the air above the words in one single motion, whereupon the letters written upon the page suddenly disappeared without a trace.

The only thing visible on the white now, was the shadow her hand made on the even and undisturbed surface.

Scrunching her eyebrows together sceptically, Elphaba looked out into the night that had settled back upon the castle.

They were in times of strife and conflict, and she did not, by any means wish for her message to be intercepted and abused.

Any means.

Smiling, she took the paper into both of her hands and blew over it lightly, softly humming a melody.

"_..an Ox, the professor from Phox, no longer permitted to teach, and a Vicar with a thriving flock, forbidden to preach..."_

Her face widened into a smile, as she remembered her two unexpected friends taking care of her daughter.

And the little Squirrel, too, of course.

As soon as she would be in a position, to, she'd find a way to express her great gratitude towards them.

Maybe she could help the Vicar improve on his speaking powers again..something of the kind.

Her daughter.

Elphaba sighed a little at the thought.

Actually daughters.

But her heart hurt at the simple thought.

She tried to make her mind a blank, blocking out the pain at having had to leave her youngest behind.

A part of her wondered what she was up to, how she had grown in the last weeks, but Elphaba shook her head.

Thinking of her other child also included thinking about Fieryo..and she tried not to think about him at all if possible.

She always felt terribly guilty for having bewitched his lightness of heart away from him, just..just like Boq.

Her eyes traversed to the Grimmerie.

She had sworn to herself not to try to do anymore good with magic.

It simply never amounted to anything wholesome.

But her eyes traveled from the book to a cup on the table, that Glinda had left after eating a hurried late lunch with her.

She couldn't have stayed away.

Elphaba sighed.

She just needed to be really, really careful, she figured.

The witch knew how to use the Grimmerie..but the book was like a carefully tuned professional instrument.

And it was usually tuned to the moods and desires of the one using it.

The magic had to be calculated just right, calmly, without bothersome secondary objectives.

She could feel it humming next to her.

Elphaba smiled at the book, gently laying her spread hand on top of it.

It glowed briefly in recognition.

The green witch returned her smile to the sheet of paper.

Her baby girl would love this.

She carefully folded the plain white paper up into an intricate shape.

Then, holding it in the palm of her hand, she softly blew onto it again, mumbling a few, very familiar words..and then some more.

Suddenly, the miniature origami bird started emitting a faint glow in the darkness.

It started flapping its wings, raising itself up into the air.

Elphaba smiled at it.

"Chistery?", she asked quietly into the darkness, and was rewarded a few seconds later, with a thump on the windowsill in front of her.

Looking at her old friend through the window, whom she had already spoken to earlier, she greeted him with a friendly nod.

Chistery gave her his humble smile back and shook his head in an affirmative.

She would love to fly with him again, someday.

Hopefully Glinda's plan, whatever it was..would work out.

But first things first.

She held out her hand for the little paper bird to alight upon.

Giving it a brief kiss, she sent it on its way.

"It'll guide you." She said to Chistery, whose eyes were already following it in the dark.

Just before the Monkey could jump off of the ledge of the windowsill though, Elphaba whispered an unnecessary "Be careful "after him.

Her left absentmindedly rubbed the area where her heart was beating in a mother's anxiety.

But her mind repeated what she knew to be true.

Galinda was as safe as she could be..and Nessa..

There was no better way to get Nessa safely to her.

Her eyes searched the dark for the shadows of the Monkey that had long since disappeared, while her hand stilled over her heart.

"Why didn't you ever send me one of these?" Glinda had been watching her quietly from by the door.

She hadn't meant for the question to sound so offensive, merely been meaning to distract Elphaba from her fears.

But her voice had a tinge of bitterness in it, nonetheless.

Elphaba turned around to her, standing up, caught.

Her hair, loose now, for the night, fell across her shoulders.

It had grown even longer, now reaching easily to her hips.

"I ..I" there was no way to put it without sounding ridiculous.

But it was the truth after all.

"I wasn't allowed."

Glinda's eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"Allowed?" she repeated after the green woman.

"Yes..Fieryo..he thought..well." she couldn't all chalk it up to the father of her children.

"Well, magic is dangerous..we mustn't be discovered..and there fore, I mustn' do any…"

Elphaba resumed her position of looking out of the window.

"A longdistance spell like this would have been completely out of the question..and it might have put you in danger, too..and.." the green witch turned around to Glinda, vulnerability in her eyes.

"You just mustn't know where we were, that we were alive.", she said evenly, as if repeating old and long acknowledged fact.

Glinda looked at her, her face as cut from stone, unreadable.

But Elphaba turned back around to the window.

How many night shad she spent exactly, looking out of windows to the east?

"That hurt most of all." She whispered to the darkness.

Glinda swallowed, ignoring the last statement for now.

She wasn't going to get pulled into this.

"So, you ahm, weren't allowed to do any magic..at all?"she knew how hard that must have been for the green witch and couldn't quite follow the logic.

"Yes." Elphaba winked at her.

"I did manage to sneak a little something in here and there, but.." she sat down again, abruptly , twisting her fingers in her lap again.

"Fieryo was right..we mustn't be discovered..or suspected." She continued quietly.

Suddenly Glinda laughed out loud.

She looked at her friend incredulous.

"I am sorry, Elphaba, but have you looked at yourself?"

The seated witch only stared at Glinda uncomprehending.

"Elphie..Elpahaba..you're well..green!" Glinda wiped a tear from her eye.

"And Fieryo.." she laughed.."isn't he still a _scarecrow_?"Glinda looked at Elphaba again, who only stared back at her, her face unmoved.

"A walking and talking, life sized scarecrow and a green witch?" Glinda's voice suddenly grew bitter again.

"Yeah, I am very sure, that telling _me_ about yourselves would have made _all _the difference." She sat down across from Elphaba and stubbornly crossed her arms in front of her chest, waiting for a response.

"I wanted to tell you, Glinda..I really did..but then..there were..all of those..people..and..and they had all come to kill me..without..without even knowing me..and..Fieryo said I mustn't tell you..tell anyone..that we must hide..disappear.." Her eyes focused on Glinda's shoes.

She remembered Nessa..her dead sister..and the strange young girl, whom she had had no quarrel with..who's house had killed her sister, and who then set out to kill her.

What kind of people were these..what kind of children?

"With the death of Nessa..I couldn't take it anymore.. I wanted to..to disappear..the world was just so bad, there was just no use..and..and Fieryo…"

Her eyes had filled with tears now.

"He changed..he..he..and I did this to him." She wiped the back of her hand across her eyes.

"And then..you know.." her voice was but a whisper now.

"I noticed in the middle of the chaos of it all, that I was pregnant.." a smile flitted across her face, despite the sadness in her eyes..

"Well, very pregnant..", she paused briefly, raising her eyebrows for emphasis.

"And everything else didn't matter anymore, all of a sudden."the green witch concluded with a defeated shrug of her shoulders.

She looked back up at Glinda, an honest apology in her eyes.

"Fieryo seemed to know what he was ..he carried me through swamps..through forests..heavy, with two children inside of me." For some reason Elphaba felt like she had to justify herself..or him..maybe them both.

"I started obscuring my face.." she glanced down at her fingers.

"My hands..everything."

She looked back up at Glinda.

"We even took different names..flitted from place to place.."

Her face became distant again.

"Fieryo told people that he had a skin condition..had had a bad accident..whatever worked.."

Elphaba sighed deeply again, studying her fingernails, which still retained some white around the edges.

Only as she told Glinda, did she notice for how long of stretches of time she hadn't seen them in their natural color.

" I thought I loved him." She whispered, suddenly very quietly.

Glinda looked up at the green woman studying her hands.

She remembered how shocked she had been, that Elphaba had been scared and paranoid enough to conceal her hands even with the benefit of gloves.

And she also remembered the handsome prince who had led her to one ball after another.

Her almost husband.

Her near fulfilled dream.

She had known him..known him for years.

Known him beyond the artfully constructed façade.

Fieryo had chosen to be brainless and easygoing.

It had always been a choice for him.

Glinda had always known, that all of these times that he had been out, searching for Elphaba..he had been out looking for something he had been missing in himself.

That was why she never told him where to find her.

He hadn't been able to face life.

The reality of it, the responsibility of family and state.. and the serious things like sickness and death.

He had always joked that he would have danced and drunk and partied himself to death before anyone else in their circle of friends would have had a chance to.

And Glinda remembered with a sinking feeling in her stomach, herself, pausing over the spell of the scarecrow that Elphaba had obviously used on him.

The Grimmerie being what it was, it hadn't said so exactly, but she had recognized it easily enough.

And Glinda had paused, paused with a gasp, over the concept of Fieryo now being damned, not charmed, to eternal life.

She glanced at her green friend again.

It seemed like that particular dream hadn't worked out for either one of them.

Happiness was not a thing called Fieryo..that was for sure.

The blonde sighed again.

It was strange to see the once so tall and proud Elphaba so humble and vulnerable.

Glinda marveled at the sight.

This was the same woman who had stood up to the very Wizard of Oz.

Repeatedly.

This was the woman who held more magic in her hands than that selfsame Wi..

Oh.

The blonde swallowed.

While they were on the subject of unwelcome subjects, she might as well, she figured, her thought spinning off into a completely different direction.

Elphaba needed to know, who knew what would happen tomorrow?

If she'd still be here?

"I'll get us some tea." Glinda quickly scurried back to the kitchen.

There was probably no way to break this gently, she mused while brewing the tea.

When she came back to the room with a tray of tea cups, milk and sugar and without a single idea of how to tell Elphaba how her father wasn't really her father, but _even worse!, _the green witch tore her out of her thoughts.

"So,how's Pegs?" she asked the blonde, trying to alleviate some of the previous tension.

"Oh, he's..he's" Glinda rolled her eyes at the mention of the Horse's name.

"He's _fine._" She emphasized.

The Horse had been making very sure, that no one was overhearing them, before he had started to speak.

When the last person in the stable had finally passed them by, he had spit out the straw he had been contentedly chewing on and told her for an approximated twenty minutes what he was thinking of her stables, the rooms of the horses, and the kind of food and straw he preferred.

And they had better hurry up at getting Elphaba's name cleared, because he was dying to read a good book, and simply couldn't wait to get out of this dump.

Glinda patted him on the neck as a way of goodbye, when, finally!, a stable boy showed up.

She quickly gave the beaming young man instructions to give the horse preferential treatment, only the best of the best, turn him out onto the meadows at will, groom him, til he sparkled, the works, before she hightailed it out of there.

"Take extra good care of him, will you?" she had asked the young man, who had beamed at her, ever so sweetly in her goodbye.

Glinda was also sure, that this was the selfsame boy who had been the newspaper's unassuming source , and was hoping, that he would pass her personal visit to her princess' noble steed, she snorted at the thought, and the extra special care the beast was to be given, on to the press the first chance they managed to pounce on him again.

Perfect.

Glinda's eyes wandered back to reality from the plan that was slowly beginning to form in her mind, to look directly into a pair of startingly green ones.

All the insecurity that had previously lain there had washed out of them, and Elphaba fixated her with a stare that almost had the old fire back in it.

Glinda was searching for her just escaped thoughts.

Where was she again?

Oh yes.

"Elphaba."she began, trying to stare back at those eyes.

"Uhm..I have..to ..to tell you something."

Still, the green woman was fixing her with that look, she sometimes had, and Glinda couldn't help her tired mind flicking back to another time, when she had noticed Elphaba's eyes, and the very greenness of them, that easily outshone her skin, for the first time.

They had been swimming at the lake out of town.

Just the two of them.

Elphaba had always been very uncomfortable in her green skin, so anyone else had been unsubtly discouraged from coming along.

They had been swimming, and joking and laughing, in the water, washing off the day's early summer heat.

Getting out and drying themselves off, they had still been laughing.

There had been a moment, when Glinda had noticed, that there was Elphaba in just a Bikini..right in front of her.

And Elphaba had noticed that she had noticed.

Her eyes had been like this then, deep and dark, and holding a challenge.

And they had both stilled.

Glinda had tried to find the question in these eyes, so she could answer, but it had never been articulated.

So she chose the only way to break the sudden tension that she could.

"Really, Elphie?" she had said, turning to find her shoes in the clutter.

"Where on earth did you even manage to find a black Bikini?"

The laugh behind her, that resounded through the trees around them, had lighted her heart and drawn the redness out of her cheeks.

But Glinda didn't have the luxury of looking for her shoes now.

She still had business to attend to.

Her last business of the day.

And she had no idea as to how it might play out.

"Elphie.." she closed her eyes to focus her thoughts..allowing herself the brief slip back into the old nickname.

"We..we need to talk about your family."

Elphaba looked at her quizzically.

Glinda returned the look, unsure of where to begin.

Then it came to her:

"Well, have you ever wondered..how you are..you know..green?" she looked expectantly at Elphaba who was now staring at her slack jawed.

Taking this for as good a reaction as she was going to get, Glinda plowed on.

"Well, you know..the father who you always thought hated you?" she smiled brightly at the green girl.

There had to be a silver lining in this, right?

"He wasn't really.. you know..uhm..he still thinks you're dead, too right?" she abruptly changed her course of action.

Elphaba quickly shook her head unable to follow, "I mean yes, no..I mean.._what?" _she looked at Glinda with disbelieving eyes.

"Well, it turns out, that you don't have to tell him, or feel guilty about not telling him, that you're not dead." Glinda almost beamed at her.

"Are you serious?" Elphaba couldn't quite believe her ears.

"Well, yes..and it turns out, that he actually hated you for good reason..I mean not, that you're hateworthy, not at all..but you see, your mother kind of cheated on him when he was out of town, and you're not really his."Glinda blundered on, happy to have gotten at least a part of the truth out.

When she took a look at the green witch in front of her, who still stared at her wide eyed, she decided to seize the opportunity to get it all out.

"You see, your real father, he would have LOVED you, really. Just a shame, that he found out so late..but anyways..he wasn't the grandest human being, but he would have been to you." Glinda smiled at her.

There were tears now, in Elphaba's eyes, and Glinda took them as a sign of success in her explanation.

But there still was that unmistakeable look of disbelief etched on the green face.

The blonde took another deep breath to continue on, for the last bit of information, when Elphaba interrupted her, blinking the tears away.

"_This_ is how you're telling me, that The Wizard is my father?"Elphaba was so thoroughly shocked, that she didn't know if she should laugh or cry.

"Well.." Glinda shrunk together in her chair, clasping her hands together n her lap.

"There isn't exactly a handbook on how to do this.." she said, addressing her shoes.

Elphaba too, looked at her shoes, dumbstruck.

"You knew?" a small voice piped up from the current Ruler of Oz' chair.

Elphaba's heart couldn't help but melt a little at the desolate sight of a very insecure Glinda the Good.

She really had tried to not hurt her feelings, and was now carefully gauging the green woman's reaction.

Her own grief with Elphaba temporarily forgotten.

The former Wicked Witch shook her head and sighed.

The whole thing was a desolate matter.

"Not before you did." She said flatly.

Glinda looked at her quizzically.

"I met him in the woods and figured it out." Elphaba explained briefly.

Glinda's eyebrows shot up to meet her hairline.

But she quickly went back to studying her shoes.

"He left after I told him..he was..he was..beyond inconsolable." She said quietly.

Elphaba swallowed.

"Yes, he did make that impression, when I saw him.", she added just as quietly.

Glinda looked up and smiled at her shyly.

"But how did you know?" a pair of black eyebrows rose on a green face.

The blonde simply shrugged he shoulders.

"You know, the one bottle you always had on you..the one keepsake your mother left you? "Glinda shook her head at the unpleasant memory.

"As you very well know, your hat and that blasted bottle were all you left behind, after you," she made air signs with her fingers, "melted."

Elphaba looked at her, waiting for her to go on.

"It was a one of a kind accessoire..and I do know my way around accessoires, trust me..so when I saw it and..and held it, after seeing him using the very same thing..a lot of things suddenly started to make sense."

Elphaba drew her brows together.

"What kind of things?"

"Well," Glinda sighed, " You do have kind of an unusual skin color, you know.." she began, ignoring Elphaba's eyebrows, that shot up so far, they hid under her hair.

"And then the whole magic thing..your father's..well, the governor's hatred of you, for whatever reason..you know, that sort of thing..and the Wizard going on and on about always wanting to be a father to the people, having a family and the such…you know..it just kind of all fell into place."

Elphaba looked at her, impressed by the intuition and reasoning that had obviously failed her.

"Well, and his reaction did confirm my suspicions..because obviously, there were only two of these bottles around, and he had given the other to your mother at the time of your..uh..well, conception."

Glinda and Elphaba both blushed a little.

"Wow." The green woman summed it all up.

Her eyes traveled around the walls surrounding them.

"Well, he sure did like green.." Elphaba joked, relieving the other woman of the anxiety she had had over her reaction.

"You could, you know, say that.." Glinda grinned back at her.

"Which brings me to.." her eyes rested calmly on Elphaba's face trying to gauge on how much she was still able to take up tonight.

"You know..this is actually all yours." Her eyes flitted around the room, but meaning the whole castle.

Elphaba only looked at her blankly.

"Isn't it the people of Oz's or more exactly their current Ruler's?" she probed carefully, remembering her history class.

"Well.." Glinda studied her carefully.

"The Wizard built it, therefore there has been no antecedent of possession, and since he didn't leave an heir, it has never been up for discussion either.. "she paused.

"And as you very well know, Miss "I would be the Governor of Munchkinland if people didn't think I was dead _and_ evil" now, positions of power are actually relegated to the next of kin, the youngest of age in direct lineage, ." Glinda looked at her intently, realizing much too late, that the Governor, Elphaba's presumed father, was actually dead already,.

She wanted to slap herself, remembering how upset she had been for Elphaba , not knowing if she should be happy or sad for her old friend, when Nessa had succeeded him in his position as governor.

But that was a long time ago..part of the haze she had felt in at the Wizard's palace…

Glinda shook her head at her insensitivy…and noticed, that she still wasn't sure if she was glad or sad for Elphaba concerning her non-father's demise.

"I am not.." Elphaba began, tearing Glinda out of her thoughts, and steering them to the parental figure currently up for discussion.

The green witch did not continue on however, noticing, that she was, indeed, the only one alive and of age in the Wizard's lineage.

"But you.." she began, looking up at the blonde Ruler of Oz before her.

But again, she stopped herself before continuing.

"He isn't even dead." Elphaba finally came up with.

Glinda only smiled at her, knowingly.

"I on the contrary am very, very dead to the people." The former Wicked Witch got up again, pacing.

If there was a night she would remember for the rest of her days, it would be that night, when a whole multitude had set out after her with murder on their minds.

It hadn't been pleasant to be so hated.

There was fear in Elphaba's eyes when she rose them to Glinda's.

The fear of someone hunted and exiled.

"People love me." Glinda stated simply.

"It's an art..to be popular. It's something I have helped you with before..and something I can help you with again..on a much grander scale."

The blonde smiled at her.

"The people basically chose me. Not just because they viewed me as the Wizard's adopted in a daughter's stead..but because they liked me. Loved me. I was simply..popular."

She coyly bit her lip.

"Oh, and Elphaba, they're going to love you, too."

A smile twinkled in her eyes, as she saw the green witch's very skeptical look.

"They already do. They just haven't realized it yet."


	43. Chapter 43

Elphaba was insecure.

To put it midly.

Somehow, she had managed to spend a whole day in Glinda's rooms, cleaning, tidying, putting things in order and neglected to face one issue which jumped out at her now in stark clearness.

There was only one bed.

Glinda had gone off to the bathroom to get herself ready for sleep, while Elphaba had returned to the desk.

She had meant to spend some more time with the Grimmere, make a research schedule for tomorrow, but her eyes had begun to literally cross over with tiredness.

After only a few vague to dos, which she had jotted down in an almost undecipherable hand, the green witch had finally given in to her unrelenting fatigue and opted to go to bed.

While Glinda could be heard, softly humming to herself through the bathroom door, Elphaba had tidied up the desk, put the Grimmerie in its designated hiding spot, in line with a few tomes of equal build, probably the last place someone with a desire towards the special book would look for, and straightened up the mugs from their previous little tea party.

Since she was already wearing that which would come as close to nightwear as she could find, Elphaba had focused on opening up the windows, airing the warm rooms with the cooler night air, and then meant to easily settle back on her bed and flip through a book until Glinda would emerge from her elaborate prebedtime bathroom routine.

Then they might talk some more, Elphaba would wish Glinda goodnight, the blonde would return the sentiment, and the green woman would shut off the light.

That had been their usual nighttime ritual in Shiz, and Elphaba's tired mind had easily enough slipped back into it.

But now, all of a sudden, she stood in front of a quite voluptuous bed, a small book , that had caught her attention earlier tucked under her left arm, and a pair of reading glasses in her hair.

Her overtired brain was not able to come up with an easy solution to the problem, although she desperately pushed it to.

Glinda appeared behind her, brushing out her hair, still humming.

"What is it?" she asked cheerily, upon finding a stock still Elphaba with a book clasped under her arm, standing in front of a bed, her green brow deeply furrowed, as though she was trying to work out the solution to a highly complicated mathematical problem.

"There's only one bed." Elphaba stated matter of factly.

Her eyes went over to the couch.

It was a tad bit too small for her, but probably manageable.

For the first time that day, she scolded herself for not having slept earlier.

That way she could have stayed up and studied the Grimmerie during the nighttime, while Glinda slept.

But she was ready to drop now..and she knew it.

Uncertainly, she looked over at the couch again.

Glinda's eyes followed hers, now puzzled by the same mathematical problem.

"The sofa is too small." She stated simply, guessing Elphaba's thoughts and resolution.

The green woman's shoulder slackened.

"I could take the couch!" Glinda offered cheerily, the easiest solution to their problem of kogistics occurring to her.

Remembering her soft cushions..the just right mattress and the silken blanket, she sighed a little upon looking at the bed.

She had been so looking forward to this all day.

But maybe she could take the blanket and maybe a cushion..or even two.

But Elphaba noticed the wistful look in her eyes.

"No way." She interjected.

"I'll take the couch. It's your bed."

Her voice made any arguing futile, and Glinda wasn't exactly in the mood to do so anyways.

"Ok." She sighed simply.

After a few minutes, the girls had put a sheet on the couch and replaced a few cushions and the blanket.

The side table with the newspapers, and the little lamp had been transferred over to by the unlit fireplace as well.

Both women, too stubborn to give in to exhaustion just yet, were reading by the soft glow of their lamps.

"Hmm.." Glinda carefully made a mark in the margin next to a passage she found particularly interesting.

Elphaba looked at her, squinting over her glasses.

Glinda met her eyes, which seemed to ask something.

"Irrigation." She answered simply.

"A ha." Elphaba raised her eyebrows briefly, before returning her attention back to her own book.

"And you?" Glinda asked after a few more minutes, unable to contain her curiosity.

It was pretty clear, by the way, that Elphaba kept blinking her eyes, widening them on purpose to make them focus correctly again and rubbing her hand over them repeatedly , that she was simply ready to just literally fall asleep.

But Glinda had seen the other woman do just that the nights before an exam, or when she had been particularly engrossed with a certain subject or book, numerous times, back in their days at Shiz.

"Family trees." Elphaba replied just as curtly as Glinda before, and lowered her eyes back down to her own book, missing the blonde blinking a few times in surprise.

"I'll put out the light, ok?" she asked Elphaba after a few more minutes had passed.

The other woman, nodded, taking the reading glasses off of her nose and rubbing the bridge.

"I'll turn in,too."

Both women switched off their lamps, and turned into their sheets and blankets.

It was strange, lying in the dark with someone else so close by.

Breathing and turning..and just being there.

It was decidedly weird, Glinda decided..so strange..and yet so very familiar.

Elphaba was spooked, too.

She was desperately trying to get comfortable in the too small space, alternately trying to ball herself up or allow her limbs to hang over the sides, until circulation was cut off from them for too long a time.

Finally, however, she found a tolerable position and stilled.

"Goodnight." Glinda said quietly into the dark.

And the green witch couldn't help but smile broadly at this.

"Goodnight." She whispered back.

Glinda could see her white teeth sparkle in the moonlight, and felt something tug at the corners of her own mouth.

With a sigh, she allowed herself to finally sink comfortably back into her pillows.


	44. Chapter 44

Elphaba woke with a start.

A small whimper had activated her motherly instincts and torn her from a death like slumber.

Heavily sleep befuddled, she groped for a light.

Just as she remembered, that she wasn't in her bed, but on a very narrow couch instead,the abyss of the dark floor rose already to meet her.

Elphaba landed, face first, on the not so plush carpeting of the emerald castle.

Cursing under her breath, she tried to shake the remaining cobwebs of sleep and confusion out of her head, while raising herself up on her elbows.

Her long legs were still resting on the couch, it turned out, and she had quite a time disentangling them from the sheets and blanket and taking them down to keep her company on the floor.

Finally, she rose onto her knees, using the armrest of her sleeping arrangement for steadiment.

She could only hazily recall why it was, that she had awoken, or where she was at, for that matter.

Every so slowly, the events of the past days pushed themselves into her fumbling brain.

Another whimper tore her from her musings.

Immediately, Elphaba rose herself to her feet, to quickly make her way across the room to the source of the sound.

Only midstride in her third step, did she remember, that none of her children were actually present in the castle.

Slowing her footsteps to carefully and silently glide across the floor, she could only discern a small bundle under the large blanket of the royal bed.

Glinda lay at the very edge of the huge mattress, the covers drawn tightly around her, her whole self balled up as if in pain.

Her brow was furrowed deeply and her eyes scrunched tightly closed in distress.

"No..nonono.." she whispered under her breath.

"Go away..go away.."

Elphaba wondered for a moment if the blonde meant her, and if she was awake.

But her eyes remained closed, as she tensed up even further, balling the blanket in her fists, drawing it around her even closer.

"Shht..shhht." the green woman knelt before her friend.

"Shhht.." and a green hand gently lay itself on the blonde curls.

Maybe it wasn't simply a nightmare, Elphaba thought to herself..Maybe someone was trying to use the defenselessness of sleep to probe around for weaknesses.

She put her free, right hand on one of Glinda's balled up fists, and touched her forehead ever so softly to the other woman's.

"I'm right here," she whispered, "fear no more."

Closing her eyes, Elphaba spread out her senses to the periphery of their reach.

And true enough..there was someone, something..dark, slinking around the edges of the shadows.

Not with an intention to attack, but to explore, to test..

Now it was the green girl's turn to scrunch her eyes shut in concentration.

In her mind's eye, she kneeled, complete with uniform, and gloves.

A perfect white carnival's mask adorned her face.

The silver embellishments matched the ones of the buttons of her jacket.

Her surroundings swam into focus.

A clearing.

The periphery of the castle.

And there, again, the darkness, drawing the shadows beneath the trees around itself.

Testing the walls that invisibly bound it.

Kept it.

Away from its quarry.

She heard something like a snarl.

A hiss.

The boundaries of the castle in this place were not tightly drawn..and she knew the thing..whatever it was, meant to get in, to test the invisible walls, in this area of uncertainty.

But she also knew, that it sensed something, that kept it hidden in the recesses of the dark.

It sensed her, who had not chosen to reveal herself yet.

"So..you are the guard..one hears spoken of."

It finally hissed out at her.

Elphaba smiled at this, rising herself up, feeling the thing's frustration roll out at her, upon seeing the mask, recognizing the familiar uniform.

"Of coursssseee…" it hissed again.

"More than meets the eye at first sight."

Elphaba smiled again, choosing not to answer yet.

She simply drew the sword from its sheath.

It gleamed brightly in the fallow moonlight.

"I thought that I had told you before, that you are not welcome here anymore?" she said evenly, the threat apparent in her voice.

She could feel the beast withdraw further into the shadows, upon the sight of the glowing blade.

It shone unnaturally bright in this land of night.

Hinting at more than just being a simple rapier in this land of illusion and magic.

The dark, that was deeper than the shadows, hissed out at her in annoyance.

Elphaba could feel it gather itself up to jump at her, but she simply straightened her back, laying the fist that bore the sword's handle over her heart, ready to strike at any given moment.

"You are a fool.." the thing…whatever it was, laughed.

And Elphaba could suddenly hear scramblings in the underbrush.

It wasn't alone.

She only grew calmer, readying herself for the attack.

But suddenly, she heard a sound next to her.

A simple sigh.

"Really?" a familiar voice pitched in.

Next to her stood Glinda, dressed in a pale blue dress, that was a little torn at the edges, smiling to the darkness.

"How impolite to call at such an hour. "

The creatures around them stalled, unsure of what to do.

Glinda bent down, and drew a simple line into the earth before her.

"I am the Ruler of Oz. This is my castle." she said simply.

And with a glance to the side at the woman standing next to her, she focused again on the simple line that she had drawn in the mud.

It began to glow a soft purple hue in the night.

She could feel the darkness stir with the leaves of the trees, as the wind rustled through them.

The line spread itself, continuing on out along the castle ground's perimeter.

And something gathered itself, just beyond their line of vision.

"Go away." Glinda said softly.

An angry hiss, that faded with the increasing distance, told her, that even if not willingly, her command had been obeyed.

Turning around to the young woman, who stood, sword still ready in hand, Glinda smiled and took her free hand into her own.

They quickly faded out of sight from unwanton eyes, only to find themselves back in the Ruler's master bedroom.

Their foreheads were still tightly pressed together.

Elphaba had snaked her hand to the back of Glinda's head, to intensify the contact of their heads against each other, while her other hand was still tightly entangled with the blonde's on the bed.

Glinda, blushing, found, that her own free hand, had loosened itself from its fist and settled in the crook between a green shoulder and neck, where she had gently drawn the green woman tighter against herself for her part.

Her eyes opened to darkness and green, and dark green, but she wasn't even able to focus on Elphaba's eyes, since they were so close.

The other woman drew in a sharp breath in surprise, tasting Glinda's breath in her mouth.

It was sweet, and tasted of toothpaste, and sleep, and smelled a little of the typical Glinda smell, that was only discernible from very close.

Elphaba closed her mouth, startled by the sudden intimacy, and drew her head back, allowing her free hand to slide down to Glinda's neck.

She caught the other woman's eyes, which were so deep and so blue, that it seemed to her, they must have encompassed all the depths of the ocean.

"You did well." She whispered to the blonde, desperate to break this sudden hold she seemed to be having over her, by shattering the silence that engulfed them.

"Thank you for.." Glinda smiled before continuing."Stopping by."

Elphaba could not help but return the smile, she dropped her hand to her side, moving to get up.

"My pleasure." She said, blushing invisibly in the darkness.

But Glinda held on to the hand that she held intertwined with her own.

"Elphie?" her voice suddenly sounded very small.

"Yes?" concerned the green woman turned back around to her, leaning down, so she could hear her better.

"Could..could you please watch over my dreams tonight?"she begged quietly.

Sighing, Elphaba disentangled their hands, and wordlessly crawled over the smaller woman to the further side of the bed.

Glinda remained on her side, facing the window, and happily closed her eyes, after she felt a reassuring dip next to her in the mattress.

She could feel the green girl struggle with the huge blanket at the far end of the bed for a few moments.

Suddenly, however, to her surprise, she could feel Elphaba right behind her.

An arm snaked itself under her pillow, as its brethren, gently covered her midriff.

Glinda's hand, as though it had a mind of its own wove its fingers through a set of green ones.

"Mysterious guard reporting for dream duty, my queen." Elphaba whispered against her neck.

But instead of giggling, Glinda only nodded while her skin broke out in goosebumps.


	45. Chapter 45

Unsurprisingly enough, Glinda had quickly fallen back asleep.

The exhaustion of the last few days was etched visibly onto her white face.

Elphaba, keeping true to her word, had allowed her mind to weave in and out of sleep, always remaining aware of danger and intrusion.

It was therefore, that when her eyes opened in the grey of the early morning, she wasn't quite sure whether or not she was dreaming.

Her body easily recognized the evenly breathing blonde, whom she still held firmly encompassed in her arms.

Her nose recognized the smell of the pillowcase and Glinda's shampoo easily enough.

But her vision was still playing tricks on her.

For there, in the half light, a solitary alarm clock was unobtrusively floating by in a translucent bubble.

Elphaba quickly decided, that she was just not fully awake yet and allowed her heavy head to sink back onto the pillow she and Glinda shared.

The blonde's shampoo smelled faintly of exotic fruits and hair care and her skin exuded the faint aroma of a simple cocoa lotion.

Unconsciously, Elphaba bent her head a little lower, to pinpoint that other Glinda smell, which she couldn't quite discern.

It was sweet and bubbly and yet had an undertone of something pure and light.

Like a breeze of fresh air on one of the first days of spring, Elphaba mused.

The green woman could feel the blonde's breathing movements evenly against her chest, and noticed her twisting a little in her sleep.

Ever so carefully, she drew the smaller woman in a little closer, and steadied her against herself in a gesture of reassurance and protectiveness.

Her mind wandered backwards along the line of dreams, catching up on the past days, and wondering about the next few days to come, while her eyes sleepily ventured another foray into the daylight.

There still was an alarmclock, floating by in a translucent orb.

Another one, in the same predicament, flew merrily by.

Elphaba inwardly shook her head at herself and wondered about the strangeness of her sleepy mind's devising, when her eyes suddenly snapped open again.

Bubbles!

She quickly unfastened her arm from Glinda's waist and grabbed one of the small clocks.

Catching it on her hand, the bubble quickly burst and the clock gave off a shrill alarm.

Turning her head further into the pillow, and leaning back into the chest of the green woman, Glinda only rose a hand and mumbled a few words into her flower patterned covers.

Just as quickly, the alarm clock was engulfed in a shimmering orb again, and calmly drifted through the very still air of the room.

Elphaba blinked twice.

"Uhm ,Glin..I think..I think that it's time to get up.." she gently whispered into the blonde's ear.

But the blonde only turned around in her arms and snuggled up to Elphaba's shoulder.

"Stupid things." She mumbled into the white cotton of her old school shirt.

She threw her right arm out above her head, before draping her left over Elphaba's stomach.

"Uhm..", Elphaba gulped, embarrassed by the sudden, unexpected proximity.

But before she could elaborate further on the thought of how to get herself out the uncomfortable predicament, Glinda's small voice pleaded with her.

"Only five more minutes.._please_ Elphie.."

Sighing in defeat, the thus addressed, pulled the small woman against her so she'd be more comfortable.

"Are you sure it's ok?" she asked her, this time into her other ear.

Glinda only nodded against her shoulder.

"Used..walk..now..ok..time aplenty."

Elphaba sighed again, unable to argue with such solid, sleepy logic.

She had an idea of how little sleep Glinda had gotten the past few days..weeks, probably, and couldn't deny the blonde a few more minutes.

Actually, now that she had relaxed a little, it felt quite alright to hold her like this.

A past memory of when she had held her last came creeping up on her.

It had coincidentally been the last time they had seen each other.

Elphaba's heart still broke a little at the memory.

It did so even more, now, that she knew, what she had put the blonde through.

"Damnit, Glinda.." she whispered quietly, holding onto her tightly.

The reason, that the petite woman in her arms was so thoroughly exhausted was also partially her fault.

And if ..well, if something had happened, before she had gotten here..if she hadn't met the Animals in the forest, or even if Pegs had just so much as tripped and delayed their journey..

Elphaba had never meant to toy with Glinda's life like that..but it was, undeniably, what she had ended up doing.

What for?

She asked herself.

What for?

For painting her face white and playing house with a scarecrow?

For her children..of course..

But she hadn't known it then.

For Fieryo?

Yes.

And because of the defeat she had felt for her cause.

For herself, to be honest.

She had wanted to be dead.

And sincerely so.

There was no reason for her not to cease existence, as she was, if all that she could ever be was "The Wicked Witch".

She was a general failure..a big, green failure.

But then there were her little kids.

And here was Glinda.

Who needed her.

And it felt good to be fighting for a cause as simple as that.

It felt good to be alive.

Things hadn't always been bad,after all.

She hadn't been the Wicked Witch forever.

No..there had been those other times..when things..despite everything..had been alright.

Elphaba's eyes traveled back to the small alarmclocks, dancing by in their sound proof bubbles.

Things had been alright in Shiz.

The green woman knew, that the blonde, who was now twitching, having fallen asleep for real, was terrified of her leaving again, and she wondered if that fear was justified.

Sure, it was justified by the past..but was it by the future?

Elphaba had to admit, that she had a tendency to well..up and leave.

Literally.

But she wanted to try.

This time.

Maybe this time, she could do it right.

Or at least..better.

She wouldn't mind slapping on another layer of white every day, and help Glinda wherever she could in ruling Oz.

Make herself useful.

Honestly, the thought made her very happy.

And then, Nessa would arrive.

Glinda had said, that she, they both, would be welcome as long as they would stay.

And maybe she could find a way to get Galinda back to her, too, somehow..

Her heart ached at the thought.

First things first, though.

_Well, then,let's try this.._she thought to herself.

"Time to get up!" she whispered, grinning wickedly, into Glinda's ear.

Then she reached out her right, and poked at a shimmering orb, popping it and releasing its noisy inhabitant.


	46. Chapter 46

**A/N:Just got back from watching "The Wizard of Oz" in an Open Air movie theater in the rain. That was fun! Gregory Maguire and Stephen Schwartz are geniuses! And I love that the not so subtle gay vibes have a long tradition ;-) Totally forgot about the "Friend's of Dorothy" line originating from this movie. But what's more important: More canon to draw from, yay!**

Glinda had jump started out of bed at seeing the time and hogged the bathroom too herself, before Elphaba even had had a chance to blink twice.

She listened to her friend rummaging amongst her multitude of bottles and lotions and briefly considered getting up and making breakfast.

But her traveling eyes fell onto her green hands, and she quickly abandoned that particular idea.

She would spend another day in Glinda's rooms, unseen, unheard, unable to traverse the castle by herself.

Her hand flicked out quickly, catching the other alarm clock out of the air.

She held the small time device in her soft palm, quickly rendering its shrill voice mute, before consulting it more thoroughly.

In this place without time or space, Elphaba had not bothered to check the clock before they had settled for sleep, but the small digits informed her, that it was a quarter after five.

Startled, the green woman noted, that the original alarm had been set to 4.30.

That was really early.

Even by her standards, not to mention Glinda's.

Elphaba allowed her head to fall back onto the pillow.

Memories of her and the blonde's schooldays seeped back into her mind, as she fixed her gaze onto the bathroom door.

It had been a chore to get Glinda..no Galinda, then, she kept reminding herself, to rise at 6:30.

Which meant, that she, ever the conscientious student, had already been out of the bathroom by then, giving the blonde free reign over the territory, once she had deigned the time worthy to get up.

Elphaba looked at the ceiling, her mind jumping years ahead, remembering her nightly vigils with a pair of infants.

It was a fortune, that both of them were rather synchronized in their needs and qualms, and actually allowed her to sleep for a good chunk of the night.

She looked back at the clock, now seated nicely on the bedside table.

Which was still more than the sleep the Ruler of Oz was allowing herself.

But Elphaba's mind invariably returned to the thought of her daughters.

Quickly, she shook her head at the pain of first leaving the miniature Galinda and then Nessarose behind.

When would Chistery be back with at least one of her little girls anyways?

Taking a look out of the window at the dawning sky, she calculated Pegs' speed, as much as the time and probable distance they had covered.

Pegs.

She really needed to see about him, too…the sooner the better.

Smiling to herself, she silently shook her head, this time in amusement.

If he was fit enough to complain of boredom and bitch to Glinda about her stables, he was probably not too badly off.

Her mind wandered on about the topics which she meant to research that day.

A finger flew to her mouth.

Actually, it was maybe not such a bad idea to ask Pegs a question or two about this theory she had.

There was an inkling..a hunch.. a half remembered rumor..something he might actually be more familiar with.

She crossed her arms behind her head.

There was, wasn't there…something.

When Glinda rushed out of the bathroom, her hair brushed but tied back into a quick ponytail, her face half made up, it was thus that she found Elphaba.

Lying on her back, her head resting on her arms, looking at the ceiling, thinking and unmoving.

Green as sin.

Blushing, the Lady of Oz remembered the thought from the day before.

"_Hiding the Wicked Witch of the West..in my bed."_

There she was Elphaba, that selfsame witch with the characteristic color, where her skin showed .

Which wasn't in too few a place.

Her arms were bare, green feet and ankles peeked out of the too short pants, and then there was the matter of her stomach, where the too small shirt had ridden up to reveal yet more emerald.

Glinda blinked a few times and shook her head to get her thoughts back in order.

"Uhm, you can sleep in, if you like." She offered to break the awkward silence in her mind.

Both of them knew, that Elphaba had no schedule of appointments.

"No..it's ok..I need to get up anyways." The verdant woman smiled at her, already sitting up.

"Do you think, you could get me a few books from the library?" her face was insecure.

She obviously didn't want to bother Glinda, but on the other hand, she couldn't exactly go and get them herself either.

"Of course." The blonde had already taken position in front of the mirror again, and smiled as she watched Elphaba through it, shaking the clumsiness of sleep out of her long limbs.

This was so much like back in their old school days.

Her running around, meeting social obligations, while her roommate would stay behind researching this or that.

Except, of course, that she would have to go to the library to get her the books, now, instead of the green girl disappearing among the shelves for hours on end.

Glinda briefly wondered if Elphaba really knew about the expanse of the royal library, as she fished for her mascara.

If she didn't, she thought, smirking to herself, she certainly couldn't tell her.

It would be impossible to contain the green girl in the rooms!

Something about the way the glass threw her merriment back at her, caught the blonde off guard, however.

Guiltily, Glinda studied her own reflection in the mirror, pausing in her actions.

She was..wasn't she?

Containing Elphaba.

Imprisoning her.

The blonde sighed.

Her old roommate was probably chained by her guilt and commitment..and she was keeping her against her will.

Well, Glinda mused, her heart breaking in her chest at the thought, she would get her to be able to freely move about Oz again and then the other woman would be free to go again, wherever she chose to.

Resuming her make up routine and switching over to the other eye, Glinda thought, feeling defeated somehow, "_Even to fly."_

With bitterness and without another unwelcome thought, the Ruler of Oz finished getting ready for the encroaching day.

With her hair and make up done, she turned to go to her semi public official study, that doubled as her dressing room.

Just as she was about to leave her private chambers, Elphaba handed her a scribbled on piece of paper,

"The books." She offered in way of clarification, when the blonde looked at her blankly for a moment.

"Yes .Of course," Glinda remarked, remembering her prior request.

She glanced over the short list briefly before folding it up and clutching it in her palm.

"I'll..I'll see you at lunch, ok?" the blonde hated how unsure her voice sounded.

But the green witch only looked up at her with surprise on her face.

"Yes. Of course." A smile tugged on her green lips as she threw Glinda's words back at her.

The Ruler of Oz only gave a curt nod, her own mouth drawn into a tense line, before turning on her heel and exiting the room.

Relieved, she leaned against the closed door behind her, and took in the graciously empty and ordered space of her dressing room.

To her surprise, breakfast was already layed out on the table.

Breakfast for two.

Glinda's eyebrows shot up.

She hadn't had an opportunity to speak to Mem in the last couple of days.

But of course, she too, must have read the article in the Ozian news.

And Glinda was actually running late today.

Swallowing down her embarrassment, the blonde quickly took the laden tray back inside the study she had just fled from and set it down onto her desk, next to an already busily scribbling Elphaba.

The green woman only fixed her with an absentminded and surprised look, just having said their goodbyes for the day.

"Uhm, bon appétit, I guess." Glinda smiled awkwardky at the other girl, before snatching a sausage off of the tray.

Elphaba caught her hand, before she could leave however, and made her stay for a brief moment, while she tore open a roll, filled it with the rest of the meats, and handed it to Glinda, with a napkin.

"I don't eat meat anyways." She smiled jokingly at her friend, before putting an apple into her other hand.

With a wink, she turned back towards her books, and suddenly, out of nowhere, Glinda remembered her resolution from only the day before.

That she mustn't let Elphaba get to her.

She mustn't.

But somehow, that voice in her head sounded suddenly very small and feeble.


	47. Chapter 47

There were a million things to consider, Glinda knew, but the plan, that had taken shape in her head, slowly began to grow into a more and more subtly detailed being.

Timing, that much was clear, would be of vital essence.

"You have called, Mylady?" the Grand Vezier fell in easy step beside her.

Glinda was familiar with the basic character of the spell that Elphaba had used to protect her on the night she had returned.

It banned anyone with malintent towards her from the castle's grounds.

Having strengthened the castle's boundaries herself, The Ruler of Oz knew, that her first officer of state, albeit easily influenced and simple at times, did not, in fact, harbor any doubtful intentions towards her.

At least, that worrisome issue had finally resolved itself.

Grateful for his loyalty, misplaced as it might sometimes be, she comfortably took the Vezier's arm, slowing his wide strides a little to match her shorter legs.

"The report on the Animals.." she began, as they strode through the great halls of the castle.

Despite the old gardener's noncommittal silence, she noticed his discomfort immediately in the way he shifted uneasily against her grasp.

With an inward smile at this, Glinda kept on the topic.

"I have chosen to..uhm..to take this on..uhm.. myself." her stuttering and pauses were deliberate, and to her satisfaction, the old man picked up on them.

His eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"Really?" he asked, visibly relieved.

"Yes." Glinda smiled up at him, ever the benevolent ruler.

"For that matter, I would be ever so grateful, if you would be so kind as to relinquish your resources over to me." she patted him reassuringly on the arm.

"It will be my pleasure!" the old man beamed down at her, almost imperceptibly quickening his gait with the new spring in his step.

"Oh, and there are a few books, I might need as well for that matter." She continued, handing him a list of literature that was in a handwriting not quite her own.

The Grand Vezier returned her previous smile, unfolding the small piece of paper.

He read it, only betraying his surprise in the miss of half a step in their unceasing journey towards their next meeting.

Out of the corner of his grey eyes, he chanced a peek at the young woman, walking so confidently next to him.

She was an artist when it came to make up and concealing her fatigue and sadness, but the old man had known her from the days, when even the Wizard had still been in power.

And he knew her now, being one of the few people, who saw her up close and on a regular basis.

Her face was less drawn..and she seemed almost happy.

There was a sparkle in her eyes and a difference in her movements.

And a sheet of handwriting not quite her own.

His eyes quickly fell back onto the note in his rough hands.

He was glad, truly so, that the huge elephant in the castle, which was actually a Vinkus princess, was having such a good influence on her.

And obviously, he hadn't misjudged the young Lady's noble and kind demeanor in their brief encounter at the party, when she even tried to support her lover, he blushed a little under his tan face, in her state given workload.

And not least of all, she was even relieving him of that selfsame tricky workload, which he was eternally grateful for.

That report on the Animals had given him headaches for weeks.

He would be more than happy to relinquish the tomes upon tomes of Animal pedigrees to whoever chose to have them.

Walking down the castle halls in companionable silence, Glinda spoke up after a few minutes.

They had rounded yet another corner of the great emerald building.

"Oh, and I would need a press meeting with a reporter from the Ozian News."

The Vezier looked down at her, blushing a little.

Glinda's ice blue eyes caught the embarrassment in his.

"_That _reporter, please.." she left the end of the sentence lingering in the air, having given enough of an indication, that she, too had read _that _article in the Ozian news after the party..and probably the one published only a few hours ago, which had another colorful feature on her visit to the stables, where the princess' steed was still present, and taken very good care of, via her personal orders.

The old man nodded briefly in acquiescence, knowing the Lady's love for her privacy.

He couldn't help but feel a little sorry for the journalist already.

They marched on in silence.

Heading towards the meeting with a group of representatives from Munchkinland.

The drought had taken a great toll on the farmers.

This would neither be a short nor a very pleasant affair.

As soon as the guard in front of the door moved to open it for her, Glinda the Good wiped off any look of annoyance, that she had preserved there solely for the Vezier's benefit, and slapped on her official face.

Smiling and bubbly, she drifted into the room of somber faces.

"Fellow Ozians!" she greeted them cheerfully.


	48. Chapter 48

After several hours of problems, complaints and the general and very tiring use of graphs, Glinda felt she was thoroughly educated about the drought induced misery in Munchkinland.

The Ruler of Oz had to consciously keep her eyes from rolling into the back of her head from sheer and unadulterated boredom.

But there had been a reason for this meeting, and she was going to take it head on.

Getting up, after the last of the undersized speakers had given his bit, she faced the room.

Waiting for a few seconds until even the last of the outraged murmurs had ceased, she easily commandeered everyone's full attention.

"Fellow Ozians.." she commenced once again, a smile already sparkling in her eyes.

"As you might have been aware, we, for our part, have been very aware of the consistent problems induced by an unnaturally long lived drought in the Province of Munchkinland."

She allowed her eyes to travel around the room.

Smiling benignly at her Grand Vezier, she continued on.

"However, we have not been able to find a suitable solution to all those possibly solutionable issues…so far." she shrugged helplessly and apologetically, her superior officer sighed in agreement.

"However," her eyes lit up, and a wide smile bepainted her lips.

"We have had the great fortune of some..how shall I put it.." she put her finger against her lips in a gesture of thinking.

"Outside input.." she murmured, seemingly to herself, but everyone in the room knew immediately by the blush in her cheeks and a shy smile, whom she meant.

Yesterday's issue of "The Ozian News" had probably been completely sold out, she figured, when she witnessed the brief flicker of realization on almost all faces.

"Any ways, " she perked up immediately.

"Someone very familiar with and well intentioned towards Munchkinland."

A few eyebrows rose themselves to her utter satisfaction.

_Maybe the Vinkus princess had traveled to the place before_..the blonde could almost read the thoughts written plainly on the wondering faces.

"So, with a little help from ahm," Glinda paused again for effect, "friends..We have been able to come up with a plan to aid the suffering green heart of Oz."

Now she was certain to have their full attention.

"There is a detailed plan, that we shall continue to lay out in its detailedness tomorrow, involving a general irrigation system.." she paused again, nodding to a few delegates who had lectured on the lack of water problem, " And sustainable taxcuts.." she continued nonchalantly, her eyes roaming around the room.

It was absolutely still for a minute.

"Actually, the taxes for farm produce will be cut completely." She elaborated, before a loud cheer rose from the small people in the room.

Unsurprisingly, hats were thrown into the air, whoops were heard and the small people did some singing and dancing.

Glinda waited at the front of the room, still smiling as radiantly and indulgently as ever, and taxing herself inwardly for the last of the patience she had left for this ridiculously long winded affair.

After everyone had calmed down a bit, the head of the conglomeration went to shake her hand enthusiastically.

"Thank you..thank you..You really are Glinda the Good."

Glinda only looked at him, her blue eyes mysterious and twinkling.

She gently laid a hand over his.

"Don't thank me." She said calmly.

" Thank a fellow Munchkinlander."

With a curt smile, she exited the room that was still abuzz with the good news.


	49. Chapter 49

„Hey."

Glinda had remained standing by the doorframe, studying the green woman, who was too absorbed in her work to pay her much heed.

Elphaba needed a moment to snap out of her own world, before she laid down the pen and turned around to face her.

"Hey." She said, smiling back at the blonde.

Glinda nodded in the direction of the official study.

"I have food over here and a locked door." Her eyes caught a pair of green ones, which merrily twinkled.

"Is that so?" Elphaba joked back at her, still not getting up.

"And books." Glinda drew her brow together in mock seriousness.

"A lot of books."she drew her hands apart gesturing as to their size.

"Big books. Huge..Heavy.." her eyebrow rose as she saw the gleam in Elphaba's eyes.

Laughing she reached her hand out to the other woman.

"You're so predictable!" she scrunched up her nose mockingly.

Elphaba grinned right back at her.

"Says the woman who has so many lotions, I had to search for my toothbrush for at least half an hour this morning!" her eyebrow rose to challenge Glinda, while she took her hand and allowed the smaller witch to lead her into the adjoining room.

It felt good to be out of the study for a little while..even if it was yet another room.

"Food first, though, " Glinda admonished her, pointing to the stack of tomes in the corner, and then shook her index finger overly dramatic in Elphaba's face.

"Alright, alright!" the green woman threw up her hands in defeat and laughed merrily back at her, before obediently sitting down on one side of the small table.

She picked up the domed lid of her plate, which artfully exhibited a steamed vegetable dish.

Her stomach growled despite herself.

This eating and food thing was a habit she was quickly becoming accustomed to again.

Glinda looked up at her at the sound, she had been busy surveying her own food.

"Mem made it, it's Vegetarian." The blonde smiled at her companion.

"It's great!" Elphaba noticed the fancy silverware, which was laced with gold and the Wizard's crest.

There were a couple of candles on the table, sleek, in their silver and golden holders.

Water was in two crystal glasses, cooled wine stood nearby.

"You have quite a way of eating lunch." She remarked, wondering at the extravagance.

"Well, "Glinda blushed thoroughly.

"I usually eat in the kitchen." She murmured into her plate.

Elphaba raised an eyebrow.

"I do need to keep you fed, you know."Glinda, now scarlet, leaned back into her seat in defense.

"I can't just smuggle food around for two all the time.." she murmured, her eyes fixed tightly onto the plate before her.

Elphaba was still staring at her strange behavior, not understanding.

"And everyone basically knows, that you're here anyways.." the blonde mumbled, carefully studying the intricate pattern of the greens she was about to have for lunch.

Elphaba's eyes widenened at this.

"Oh." She said simply.

Then her gaze traveled over the fine cutlery to the candles on the table.

"Oh!" she exclaimed, this time a little louder, as understanding dawned on her.

Glinda was carefully cutting up some fried pepper on her plate, not meeting her eyes.

Her face so beet red under the golden swirl of her curls, that she actually managed to clash with the maroon of her dress.

Elphaba swallowed her own embarrassment down.

She was intent on making Glinda, who, after all, had gone to so much effort for her, comfortable again.

"Well, " she grinned at the other woman, trying to pick up on their previous, merry mood, " we might do it right then."

With a brief flick of her fingers, the candles ignited, bathing the room in a soft glow.

Glinda looked at her, genuinely relieved, that the momentary awkwardness was broken.

Both of them returned their attention to their plates.

"So how was your day?" Elphaba asked her evenly ,after a few minutes, while digging enthusiastically into her food.

"Oh..you wouldn't believe how boring a bunch of Munchkinland farmers can be" Glinda replied heartily, taking a bite in the same manner.

"Believe me..I can vividly imagine!" Elphaba answered her, rolling her eyes.

"It's a mathematical equation, I believe, or at least ought to be.." she commenced mysteriously, before taking another bite.

She continued to gesture with her fork, when she had Glinda's attention.

"When there's more than of them in a room, they manage to potentialize their capacity for boredom." Elphaba closed with a dramatic whirl of her fork, signifying an exponential arc for her imaginary graph.

Glinda giggled.

"True enough!" she replied, taking a sip from her wine glass, "Speaking of math," she began, before swallowing the cool liquid down, "You'll need to help me out with some technical stuff.. and I need to figure out how to counterbalance the tax cuts I gave them.."

She continued to mumble through another mouthful of the light colored wine..before turning her attention fully back to her plate, "Help would be much appreciated."

Elphaba smiled warmly back at her, looking up for a moment from her food.

"And gladly given."

Surprised at the soft tone, Glinda detached her attention from the meal.

For a moment, their eyes met over the candles.

Blushing, both of them immediately bent their heads back to their plates.

"And you..? What have you been up to?" Glinda asked only a few minutes later, making short work of more peppers, yellow ones this time.

"What are you planning with all of these books on pedigrees and family trees anyways?" the blonde elaborated on her question.

While still chewing, she studied the green girl carefully.

But Elphaba was still busy segregating her bean sprouts from the rest of the vegetable spectrum, obviously evading a reply.

After swallowing down the last bit of food, the blonde finally asked, concerned.

"It's not about your father, right? Are you upset about that? Do you need to talk about it?"

Elphaba looked up at her surprised, "No, it's ok..it's not about that at all."

Catching another mushroom with her fork, she continued, "I have a hunch..a theory..about our..well, non-friends.."

She caught Glinda's interested gaze.

"I'll see where that leads me, and I'll sound it out with you, tonight, ok?"

The blonde nodded, turning her attention back to her own food.

"Oh, and I will see about the infamous Munchkinland taxcuts, too!" Elphaba added after a moment with a smirk in Glinda's direction.

Her friend caught it just in time and winked playfully back at her.

Both of them immediately felt the color rush back into their cheeks, and before the other one could notice, they bent their heads back to their plates, eating on in silence.


	50. Chapter 50

**A/N:I hope this chapter works for you guys, I have been rereading and reediting it so much, that I don't know if it makes sense anymore. Obviously, the summer is over, and lots of new things are happening in that mysterious world aka RL. That translates to fewer and further in between updates, as you might have taken notice of;-)**

**I shall continue to do my best..but, well, the plot thickens..and I need to take a lot of care with the next chapters. Sincerely hope you will enjoy them! Xoxo**

Glinda knew, that her Grand Vezier was a little shocked when "The Ozian News" reporter whom she had requested through him earlier in the day, had almost literally dropped everything at her call and rushed to the castle in a frenzy to meet his doom in the form of the small Ruler.

But the blonde knew the sort better than the old gardener.

Having been a gossip and the source of much herself during her glory days in College, she was more than a little familiar with the bite of curiosity, the thrill of secrets unveiled, the glory of knowledge.

Reprimands.. punishment and lawsuits even, paled in contrast to the deep satisfaction that made life larger than life itself to an innately curious about other people person, such as was the reporter of "The Ozian News".

He seemed to have taken a particular shine to her ever since she had stepped upon the throne of Oz," _abandoned and alone"._

A man with a love for mystery and tragedy.. and romance.

Perfection.

Glinda had taken her sweet time eating lunch, even though she had known that the journalist had already been waiting for her in the castle when she had sat down with Elphaba for her midday meal.

She had given her sincerest apologies for the prolonged wait to one of the guards, who had been certainly milked for the information, of why exactly she had been detained.

And with whom.

Or rather where..with a lunch for two.

"_That must have been a little over an hour ago",_ Glinda mused, as she covered the last of the distance towards another one of her official sitting rooms.

The blonde put on a quick and hurried smile, as she rushed through the door.

The reporter, startled a little by the sudden commotion, immediately got up, only to bow deeply before her.

But the Ruler of Oz, in a gesture of familiarity, quickly took his hand and shook it.

"Please," she said, "I believe you are more familiar with me, than I am myself."

At this obvious, although twofold flattery of his handiwork, the man across from her smiled, before slowly resuming his seat opposite an immaculate oaken desk.

Glinda quickly shuffled around to the other side of it and as swiftly as her elaborate dress would allow, sat down herself.

She knew, that in the process, thinking her unguarded for the moment, quick eyes were taking in her cheeks that were still flushed from laughter and a glass of wine.

Her hair, that had battled its way out of its bounds, as was its wont to do by midday, would not go unnoticed either.

Her lipstick would be a little off as well, having just eaten and drunk.

Today, and only today, she had not used the opportunity of lunch to "freshen up", as she usually did, in between her morning and afternoon appointments.

The impression she was giving off was that of one being slightly and ever so subtly "disheveled".

A quick flick of the journalist's eyebrow gave him away.

He had noticed.

He had certainly noticed.

But his voice was even and measured as he spoke.

"In case, you have requested my presence here to reprimand me, for the ahem.. headlines in the past few days..please do be assured of my sincerest apologies.."

The man across from her now studied the desk they were sitting at in seemingly complete sincerity.

Unwavering.

Glinda suppressed a quick smile.

Oh, he was good.

This would be delightful.

The Ruler of Oz leaned back into her well cushioned seat and spread her hands before her midst, to rest the fingertips against one another in a well practiced manner of contemplation.

Her mouth was set sternly.

She kept looking intently at the place where her fingers intercepted each other as she addressed the dark blonde man sitting before her.

" I have always been under the impression that "The Ozian News" has been a newspaper of reputable reputation.." Glinda began, dejectedly shaking her head to herself.

Looking up, she saw the reporter arch an inquiring eyebrow her way.

"Madam," he responded, faking outrage, and faking it well, " We only credit reliable sources and only publish if there are multiple of those."

Now it was Glinda's turn to raise a blonde eyebrow in sheer disbelief.

"Multiple sources?", she asked incredulously.

The journalist leaned back in his chair smugly, allowing his hands to rest in his lap.

"If you shall remember, I was there myself, the night of the ball." He said undisturbed, by the Ruler's stern and unbelieving gaze.

His voice, surprisingly enough, however, softened as he continued.

"Everyone in that room could see how " he bit his lip, " _close_ you were with that special guest from the Vinkus."

Glinda looked at him uncertainly.

There was something in his eyes, his expression, that she couldn't quite place.

It was something..personal.

Different.

And for a moment, she felt the panic rise in her throat.

"_No one of malintent towards her would be able to cross the borders of the castle"_ she reminded herself.

The sound of the incantation in her head calmed her nerves somewhat.

So this mysterious young man did not harbor evil in his heart towards her.

But there was.. something .

Something other than mere professional curiosity in her person.

He kept studying her quietly, openly.

And there was something in the way he raised his elbow onto the armrest of his chair, a grace with which he settled his chin into his palm, still watching her.

Unwavering, still.

And Glinda remembered.

Remembered him, and remembered the articles by his pen.

It had been a complete non issue, that there was a princess and not a prince purportedly coinhabiting her chambers.

And it had already been prior to Elphaba's appearance.

A non issue.

At all times.

The gender of the particular dancer that might have struck her fancy one night or another.

A statesman, a princess, a nobleman.. a maid, even.

Rumors had been bountiful, and she had kept them that way on purpose.

But he, he, the young journalist, specialized in all matters Glinda the Good, Upland, Ruler of all of Oz, he had woven the tales.

And there had never been an issue around that matter.

The particular matter of what..it had always been _who_.

Articles upon articles..all penned by one and the same person.

Him.

And after all, she trusted in him to continue just as he had done.

Write about the particular matter of _who _and not what.

Trusted him with everything she would never want to risk.

And he would never know how much she trusted, had to trust him, in this.

Glinda looked at the journalist unsteadily, swallowing down the new surge of panic that threatened to overtake her.

He met her eyes, and the way he unglued his head from his hand, where it had rested, the gesture being just a little too graceful, a little too artful, a little too feminine, gave him away.

And there it was..a silent understanding passed between them.

The blonde immediately looked back down at her desk, blushing lightly.

"I was there myself, and I did not see her leave that night, and I did wait and check, " the reporter continued their previous conversation, quietly.

"Therefore, the stable boy's statement only served as proof to my own observation."

He leaned back into the equally soft cushions of his chair.

"Which was?" Glinda looked at his youthful, handsome face, chewing anxiously on her lip, and blushing quite profusely now.

Suddenly, the journalist unlatched himself from his comfortable position and bent forward, effectively bridging the gap, that the wooden desk forced between them, as he answered.

"That our prayers have finally been answered, and the Lady of Oz has finally found someone that her heart desires." he softly.

Tears started to Glinda's eyes.

She quickly got up to walk over to the window in an effort to hide them from her observant visitor.

Silence fell over the room, as she studied the greenery outside for a few minutes, obviously struggling with her composure.

Finally, she turned back around to face the young man, who wasn't quite so young any more, after all.

And neither was she.

"Life has strange twists and turns sometimes.." Glinda stated calmly, wiping away at her tear filled eyes, before sitting back down.

The young man, well bred and of good manners, briefly rose out of his chair and handed her a handkerchief.

"Yeah," he said,trying to lighten the mood with a wry smile, " who would have thought..of all people a Vinkus princess, _surprise_!"

Both of them laughed at this.

The blonde blew her nose into the tissue loudly before looking back up at him.

"Oh," she said off handedly, "we have known each other for a long time."

The glint in the journalist's eyes almost illuminated the room.

"Really?" he said, again, leaning forward almost imperceptibly.

"_And there, the hound has finally picked up a scent".._Glinda thought to herself.

"Yes.." the Ruler of Oz dabbed at her eyes, trying to pretend she did not notice the sudden flare of interest from the other side of the desk.

"We used to be friends..then enemies.."

"And now lovers.." the journalists finished for her, leaning back and resting his hands in his lap.

But his eyes were alert and betrayed the true attitude of his seemingly relaxed position.

Glinda shrugged her shoulders, blushing and smiling shyly.

"You know how it is..you think you know someone..and then you think you don't.." she wiped the back of her hand over her eyes again.

"_And then it turns out you were right the first time.."_ she continued in a sudden whisper, her head lowered itself again in an intense study of the wooden surface of the workplace, that, in truth, had never seen a day's trouble.

"You know," the witch continued, catching the eyes across the table, with all the sadness she could muster in her own.

"_People change.."_ her voice broke and she almost started crying again, but just managed to control herself.

Suddenly a soft hand was put over her own.

"But you know, what the real surprise is..the..the _miracle_?" Glinda looked at the Ozian News reporter from underneath her hair, which had by now, become almost completely undone.

"Love.." she paused, taking another look out of the window, noting how late it was already, but she was sure, that the press of the paper would stand still yet, for this story to appear tomorrow.

"_Love.."_ she returned a pair of wet, very blue eyes to the man in front of her.

"_It changes people.."_ she continued on, her voice barely audible now, and wrested with emotion.

To her satisfaction, there was a sniffle from across the table.

When she looked up from her intricate study of the desk's surface, she found, that another pair of eyes had started to fill with tears.

"It makes people _brave_.." Glinda continued tonelessly, staring out of the window now.

"It makes people.._good."_ she smiled bravely back at the man in front of her.

"It makes people _endure..", _she held his gaze mysteriously for a few moments, before continuing on.

"It makes people different." she finished with a sigh.

The reporter only patted her hand in understanding, wiping away at his own, solitary, tear.

"So..she has been changed for the better because of her love for you?" he asked innocently enough.

Glinda felt her own voice catch in her throat, truly unable to respond to _that_.

"_Yes.."_ she managed to strangle out of herself in a harsh whisper.

"But not only that.." she really needed to get back on track here.

"The love for her daughter."

A hand flew to the reporter's mouth.

"She has a child?" he asked, and Glinda could almost see the headlines in the other person's head begin to form.

But they weren't quite there yet.

"Yes..and it.." Glinda stuttered now, seemingly overcome with emotion herself.

"It _changed_ her.." she whispered, shaking her head at herself in disbelief.

She felt the hand, that had been put over her own, tighten in reassurance.

"I know..I know..how it does.." the journalist reassured her.

The blonde glanced briefly at him.

He really wasn't that young anymore..younger than her by just a little..but she had done her research about "The Ozian News" reporter with a special interest in the Lady Upland, not too long a time ago.

Gossip works both ways, after all.

He was raising a small child, seemingly by himself.

Mother unknown.

"So..she _changed_..and we had been friends before.." her voice became more and more of an emotional stutter.

It was getting late..and Glinda needed to gain some ground.

"So..she came back..to me..to ask my forgiveness.." again, the blonde wiped at her eyes, adding a brief pause before continuing on.

"And I found, that I could not let her go again." She smiled feebly through a new bout of tears.

"You love her." the melodious voice across from her concluded nonchalantly.

Busy with the handkerchief, the blonde only nodded.

"And she loves you, too?" the journalist queried , immediately.

Glinda smiled sheepishly back at him, despite being still so overcome by sheer feeling, that she had to dab furiously at her eyes for her crying not to ruin the carefully applied make up.

She took another moment to compose herself, unsuccessfully.

"Yes..it is..she' s..like a..like a light.." and Glinda's eyes almost seemed to illuminate the whole room.

Again, the reporter squeezed her hand with emotion.

"What about the father?" he asked suddenly.

"Dead." Glinda answered curtly.

Her tone dismissed any further questioning in that direction.

The young man looked back down at the desk, collecting his thoughts for a moment.

"So..what do you plan on doing?" he looked at his Ruler unsurely.

" I..I offer you my confidentiality." The young man said after a small pause, biting his lip again, and the young woman could see, what that offer was taking out of him.

This time, it was her turn to put her hand over his.

"There is no need." The blonde smiled softly at him.

She could see relief and surprise wash over his face.

"Everyone knows that I am hiding some sort of elephant in this castle anyways." Her eyebrow shot up a little in scolding at him.

"But in these..in these dire times..I want..I want for all of Oz to see..that there is a healing power..a miraculous power in..in _love."_ her eyes gleamed,reignited, as she caught the other pair again.

"The love we have for our children..for..for each other.." she smiled genuinely , giving his hand a squeeze at the words, "it is ..in the end, what makes us _good. _That and only that, has the power to save us from the wickedness inside each and everyone of us."

Glinda allowed for silence to permeate the room and add weight to her words.

Her gaze lingered on their hands.

Hers, bare, finely manicured, fingernails painted a pearly white today and now covering his pale, slightly abrased knuckles.

Ink stained the cuticles of his fingernails permanently, no matter how much he had obviously scrubbed away at it before appearing at the royal abode.

A true penman.

A man of the word.

Glinda felt herself grow a little nervous again, as she felt the heaviness of the situation oppress her a little.

"So, the Vinkus princess.. she is truly good now?" the journalist smiled benignly at the Ruler of his country, for lack of anything to say, after a few minutes had passed.

"She s not a Vinkus princess.." Glinda winked at him, quickly catching herself and looking up, "But yes..yes..she is truly good now."

"As good as any of us, ever dare to be."

Taken aback by the piece of news, that made all of the research of the last two days go up in smoke, the reporter blinked at the blonde.

Twice.

The Lady of Oz only gave him another enigmatic smile.

"Don't worry, you will meet her tomorrow."

"Tomorrow? Me?" he couldn't believe his luck.

"Well, all of Oz." Glinda almost beamed at him again.

"It is time, that the people of Oz meet that special someone, who has been helping me bring good to them, and who will be continuing to do so."

Her eyes waited for the reporter's reaction impatiently.

"Bring..bring..good to us?" he asked, suddenly very unsure.

"Yes, for to love me, one must love Oz.." Glinda nodded at him this time, while getting up from her chair, and indicated for the young man to do the same.

It was getting late, and she was sorry to rush this, but timing was of the essence here, after all.

The press wouldn't stand still forever.

"And I couldn't love anyone who does not love my people." She walked the reporter over to the door.

There was a brief faltering in his step as she ushered him along.

Suddenly Glinda the Good turned to face him directly.

"Wasn't that what you had prayed for?" she asked him softly, while her hand rested on the door handle.

"Someone whom my heart desires..who would stand by my side?"

"Yes." The reporter's eyes were reinhabited by that romantic gleam, that Glinda had not mistaken him for.

"Then the people of Oz deserve to meet her, tomorrow."

" At sixteenhundred hours sharp."

With that she opened the door, and the young man turned to leave.

"Thank you." She said gently, as if on an afterthought.

Without warning, Glinda, instead of taking his hand, for a formal goodbye shake, embraced the journalist swiftly.

He was taken aback by the sudden familiarity of the gesture the very Ruler of Oz seemed fit to bestow upon him.

In fact, he was so taken aback, that he didn't notice her holding on just a little too tightly , for just the hint of a moment.

He did not notice the fleeting desperation in the embrace.

He only felt the honor and the warmth.

"See you tomorrow then." Glinda waved after the thoroughly shocked Ozian newsjournalist.

On a last thought she called out, "And stay away from my stable boys!"

With that she quickly shut the door behind herself.

"This.." she summed up to herself, leaning against the dorr for a moment," has gone exactly according to plan."

Taking out a few more handkerchiefs of her the desk's drawer, she turned to the mirror by the entrance of the room.

Dabbing away at her tear stained make up, she quickly reapplied it with the one she had brought back here with her.

During her childhood, there had never been a dress, a toy, a thing, that had she wanted it, she ever had to go without.

Crying on cue had been, much to her parent's dismay, her specialty.

The only one immune in her household to that special power of hers, had been Mem.

And she needed to talk to her, too, before dinner.


	51. Chapter 51

„Heya." Glinda rushed back into her study after night had already fallen.

The meeting with the journalist had been rather unplanned and had upset her timetable somewhat.

She had neglected to talk to Mem all day, not cherishing the thought of that particular conversation.

And now, she feared, it might be too late, the old woman had probably already left and withdrawn to her own quarters.

But there would be time tomorrow morning, Glinda knew, when she would be able to draw Mem aside and have a heart to heart with her, before springing Elphaba on everyone else.

Right now, she needed to gather her bearings, check with her roommate for dinner and when the little new member to her living arrangements would arrive, and then, maybe, try to catch Mem, still in the kitchen.

The detailed plans that she had promised the Munchkinlandfarmers a few hours prior also needed to be drawn up, and she would have to present the taxcut solution to the chamber of commerce before long as well.

Whipping through the room like a whirlwind, the blonde had not noticed at first, that a familiar green form, hunched over her desk, was blatantly absent.

Glinda's heart stopped in her chest.

Her right flew to the spot beneath her left collarbone, from where a deep coldness seemed to spread throughout her body.

"Hey, I'm right here."Elphaba gently put a hand on her shoulder, which Glinda's hand sliding upwards, quickly covered.

Closing her eyes, and biting her lip to suppress tears, the blonde leaned her cheek against green knuckles

The one formerly known as the Wicked Witch of the West wanted nothing more than to slap herself for not having been a little more considerate.

She carefully snaked her right around Glinda's waist, and turning her, pulled her in against herself.

"I'm right here, ok?" she whispered into blonde curls.

Immediately, she could hear an unsuccessfully suppressed sniffle, and only responded in circling the other woman with both arms, and holding her carefully.

"Look.." Elphaba tried to reason, after she had let Glinda cry for a few minutes.

"I'll give you a heads up before I try to run out on you again, ok?"

The blonde looked up at her.

"How much of a heads up?" she asked, her voice still small and vulnerable.

"A week?" Elphaba probed carefully.

Glinda smiled.

"What about two weeks?"she asked back.

"Two weeks it is." The green witch pulled her in again and rested her chin on top of a head of curls.

"I've never left without saying goodbye, you know." She tried to carefully reason with the blonde.

Glinda only harrumphed a little.

"But I'll be more careful to not scare you in the future,ok?"

Looking back up at her, the smaller woman, drew the back of her hand over her nose and eyes.

"Ok." She said.

_Of course it was completely illogical for Elphaba not even to get up from her desk and.._

"What were you up to anyways?" Glinda finally noticed, that the green girl was wearing her princely uniform again, and parts of her face were already concealed in make up.

"I was..I was going to go see..Pegs.." Elphaba looked guiltily down at her.

"You did say, that everyone knows I'm here anyways and.." Glinda laid a finger on the dark lips, stopping her short.

"Timing is of the essence." She offered in way of explanation, before she turned abruptly around, and paced over to the window.

Night made it impossible to look outside with the lamps still burning indoors.

"Do you think, Nessa will be here by tomorrow afternoon?" she asked the other woman while turning around.

"She should.." Elphaba nervously started fidgeting with her hands.

"You're worried, aren't you?" Glinda was at her side again in a matter of a few steps and took both of the green hands carefully into her own.

"No..yes..no..I have no reason to..not yet..they're still fine, time wise.." Elphaba stuttered helplessly.

"There was something I meant to ask Pegs.." she continued, trying to calm herself and redirect her attention to matters more tangible.

Glinda was playing with her hands, turning them over, and neither one of them could tear her eyes away from the play of color.

White and pink against green.

"Can it wait until tomorrow?" Glinda asked her, suddenly looking up again.

"Yes..yes..of course." Elphaba smiled back at her nervously.

"It's only about this hunch I've had..what's tomorrow?"

Her green eyes looked deeply into Glinda's very blue ones.

"Tomorrow..we'll lift the veil." The blonde replied mysteriously, her eyes sparkling.

"The veil..?" Elphaba had not noticed, how her voice had grown so soft, it was almost a whisper.

"Yes..you won't have to wear this anymore.." she drew a solitary finger over the white make up of Elphaba's face.

The green witch caught her hand, but did not release it .

"I thought white might be my color.." her eyes seemed to look right into Glinda's soul..and if the universe was green, the blonde thought, it would be trapped in these depths.

Slowly, Glinda spread her hand over Elphaba's cheek, very aware of the other woman's palm still resting atop it…and not leaving.

"Honestly, I like green better." She murmured barely on the range of hearing.

Her heart stopped in her chest for the second time in the span of only a few minutes, for the green woman closed her eyes and turned her head ever so slightly, leaning into her hand.

"_You do?"_ she asked in a whisper.

"Hmm.." Glinda nodded slightly but forgot, that Elphaba wouldn't be able to see the movement.

Lazily, a pair of green eyelids opened, and yes..there was the universe in them, Glinda thought absentmindedly.

Great and swirling..

There was the whole world..and the skies and the sea, too.

She rose herself up on her tiptoes ever so slowly, and through her palm, which had not vacated the green cheek, felt Elphaba dip her own head in the selfsame speed to meet her.

Her head tilted by instinct, and hers brushed Elphaba's nose, she felt the other woman's breath on her lips, and thought, that she was simply going to die in but a moment's notice.

Suddenly a loud thud on the windowsill made both of them draw apart as if torn away from each other by outside forces.

"Chistery!" Elphaba called, and true enough, the winged monkey had returned, bearing a small bundle wrapped in white in his arms.

Glinda shook her head in confusion.

"_I really must have gotten carried away by my little speech earlier.." _she thought to herself.

But even as she watched Elphaba gratefully take the little baby containing wad of cloth and cradle it against herself with a beaming smile, a line from that selfsame speech popped back into her head.

"_She is..like a..like a light."_


	52. Chapter 52

Elphaba's face had broken into a bright smile, when she had looked into a pair of eyes, not unlike her own.

Her little baby girl gagaed happily back at her and the green witch proceeded to unwrap her from the multitudes of layers which the overcareful Animals had protected the infant with.

Suddenly a voice piped up behind her.

"Chistery? What in Oz' name happened to you?"Glinda was over at the Monkey's side in about two strides.

Having kept himself hidden in the dark of the night, the Animal's torn clothes and singed hairs were only becoming visible now as he carefully descended into the lighted room from the windowsill.

He was obviously in pain and had visible difficulty in maneuvering the so familiar space.

The blonde took his arm, and careful not to cause further harm, gently eased him onto the floor.

Chistery hunched for a little while, before looking up at the two women, who were fixating him with worried stares.

"O..oo.k..", he grinned sheepishly.

"I..I ..'m..o..ok..", the Monkey clarified.

Getting up to his full height, the distress he had been under was even more visible.

Whole patches were missing from his jacket, letting the white shirt underneath show, which bore dark burn marks as well.

The few strands of his hair were tusled wildly, parts smoldered away, where only slight stubbles showed.

"What..what happened Chistery?" Elphaba had worry etched visibly onto her face.

The Monkey looked at her, raising an eyebrow at her half white, half green get up.

"..my ." he paused collecting himself." Fi..ire." he finished.

As if on cue, two pairs of eyes flew to the baby.

But the white cloth was unharmed even at the outest layer, and the little girl was merrily reaching for one of Elphaba's shiny uniform buttons.

"A..aaw..way...her…e."Chistery finished painstakingly.

He clutched his left to somewhere against his right ribcage.

Glinda quickly drew back the jacket, to watch the cause of his hurt, and saw, that he was artfully bandaged underneath a large hole in his white shirt.

Not releasing the red garment, her eyes rose themselves questioningly to his, before allowing them to settle on Elphaba's, who would probably be a little more articulate as to the origins of where he had been headed and so expertly taken care of.

The woman in question settled the baby against her, wondering silently what all of this meant, and moreover what it meant for the hidden Animals in the forest and for them, when Chistery relieved her of an answer.

"Fri..iends." he answered the blonde's silent question.

At the word, a sleepy Squirrel poked its head out of the collar of his jacket, and smiled at the current ruler of Oz.

With a shriek, Glinda released the Monkey's jacket and took two steps back.

After rubbing the sleep out of its eyes, the miniscule Animal proceeded to swiftly crawl onto Chistery's shoulder, revealing a green combination of dress pants and a vest.

It bowed deeply and then, wordlessly, reached out its hand toward the Lady of Oz with a shy smile.

Still speechless, Glinda hesitantly held out the index finger of her right hand and shook the Squirrel's tiny paw.

"Pleased to meet you." She said, remembering her manners.

With a highly raised eyebrow she turned her head towards the green woman next to her.

"This is..ah.."Elphaba realized, that she didn't know the Animal's name.." a..a.. friend." She couldn't help but grin a little, as she nodded in its direction, remembering waking up and finding him dabbing away at her make up.

She had been even more bewildered upon meeting the friendly little fellow.

The Squirrel returned her greeting courteously and released Glinda's finger, before bowing again.

"I'm..I'm Glinda." The blonde said, returning the smile of the humble little guy before her, and bowed back at him.

She did like his attitude.

Suddenly the baby started crying a little, and all heads immediately swiveled towards the youngest person in the room.

Quickly, the Squirrel ran down Chistery's arm and dipped into his pocket, only to return with a peacemaker.

The ring was safely tucked in its mouth.

The rust red Animal then easily jumped over onto Elphaba's arm and made its way to Nessa in record time.

Holding onto the Vinkus dress jacket with both of his hind legs, it used the front paws to carefully push the peacemaker into Nessa's mouth.

The baby sucked onto it, contentedly, and rose its eyes back up to its mother.

Her eyes, and Glinda's both, were glued onto the little Animal.

"Wow," the blonde said, appreciatively, "You're hired."

Both the Animal and Elphaba beamed back at her.

The green skinned woman rocked the baby a little bit, studying her intently for a moment, while the Squirrel settled onto her shoulder.

"So, you want to meet the strange blonde woman who reeeallly likes pink, heh?" she asked her daughter, her voice gentle and teasing, so as Glinda had never heard it before.

Looking up at the other woman with love and happiness still in her eyes, Elphaba smiled at her.

Glinda's heart inexplicably hurt in her chest at the sight.

"So you..you want to hold her?" Elphaba asked her softly.

It was more of a request than an offer, and the blonde knew, that she could easily enough refuse.

Glinda only nodded around the lump in her throat.

Carefully, Elphaba handed the baby over.

It had been a long..a very long time indeed, since she had last held such a small infant, the Ruler of Oz, thought to herself nervously.

But Elphaba sensed her insecurity.

"You're doing fine..just hold her head a little like this, she can't hold it by herself yet..and then..exactly..here..like this.." the green witch gently readjusted Nessa in Glinda's arms until the baby was safely and comfortably snuggled against the smaller woman.

Quietly, the blonde studied Elphaba's oldest child, while it did exactly the same to her.

Daring to loosen her right a little, she drew a finger over the little girl's nose, who scrunched it up at the touch and laughed merrily.

Glinda scrunched her nose up in response and giggled herself.

She couldn't have helped the wide smile that made her face hurt, even if she had wanted to.

Dipping her fingertip to tease Nessa's tip of her nose with it, Glinda grinned at the little girl's antics again.

"You're a happy little camper, eh?" she rocked the baby playfully.

"Now aren't you?" the baby gurgled happily and spit out her peacemaker, when Glinda spun around in the room with her for a couple of times.

When she stilled, the little face became serious and pondersome all of a sudden.

The blonde gently stroked a tiny cheek and held out her pinkie finger for the baby to hold on to.

"And you have perfect little hands with five fingers on them! Aah,look at that!" she exclaimed with mock surprise, tearing the child out of its seriousness.

But something caught Glinda's eye.

"And your perfect little hands have green fingernails on them." She said suddenly very quietly.

Raising her eyes back up to the woman who stood a few feet next to her, there was genuine surprise in them.

Glinda hadn't noticed, that her daughter didn't bear Elphaba's skin color at first.

"She's not green." she stated simply.

"No.." wicked witch stepped back over to the two of them, and ran her finger along Nessa's cheek as well.

"I'm hoping, that they.. she won't get green later…" her brows were furrowed in worry.

"I was a lot lighter in color when I was born.." Elphaba offered in way of explanation, still studying Nessa's face worriedly.

Tearing her old roommate out of her somber thoughts, Glinda smiled at her.

"Well, she does have your eyes!" she remarked cheerily.

Elphaba caught hers and smiled back at her, grateful for the change of topic.

They looked at each other for a moment, until Nessa, lacking diversion, started crying again.

Glinda immediately started bouncing her a little and shushed the infant softly.

"I think she's hungry." Elphaba said ponderously, reaching out her hands to receive the little girl back.

"Hmm..I am sure we have some milk in the kitchen.." the blonde thought aloud.

But the green woman only looked at her awkwardly.

"Uhm..I don't know if we need that.." she murmured blushing into a dark emerald shade.

Glinda just stopped herself short of a why and exclaimed an equally embarrassed ,"Oh."

Her mind fumbled feverishly for an excuse to get out of the room, while her face, too, reddened.

"But,,I 'll need a change after..and..uhm..maybe we could do that in the kitchen?" Elphaba carefully queried.

"Of course, I'll go and check if the..if the ..uh..coast is clear" With that the blonde disappeared in a whiff from the room.

On an afterthought, she came back, and wordlessly grabbed Chistery's hand, dragging him away with her.

Many minutes passed, until a gentle knock could be heard on the door.

Elphaba had settled Nessa on her shoulder already and was walking in circles around the room trying to burp her.

She was wondering about the sound that her princely boots were making on the carpet of the royal chambers, while walking with a baby in her arms, when she heard the sound at the door.

"Come in." she answered, after withdrawing into the shadows.

It was Chistery.

He was wearing a new jacket and generally seemed better cleaned up.

His hair was cut shorter overall and brushed back on the sides neatly.

"Co..oast clear." He offered in way of explanation and lead the way to the kitchen.

The small Squirrel remained rolled up on the soft pillow of the bed, sleeping again.

Elphaba was relieved, that Chistery guided her through the dark halls of the castle, but stil, she was ready to jump at any shadow and imagined movements where there were none.

Without anything concealing her natural hue, she felt terribly vulnerable…naked almost.

They did finally make it to the kitchen, where a familiar blonde was already waiting for them.

A small space next to the sink had been made up with towels and covers, and there even was a small basin with a cloth, medium tempered water and some more towels.

Glinda's hair had been tied up in a simple ponytail, out of which it was already struggling again, and the sleeves of her dress were rolled up to just underneath her elbows.

"There you are!" she smiled at the baby, grabbing a clean cloth to wipe away at the small trail of saliva and milk that the infant had spit out again on its way to the room.

"Thank you so much." Elphaba bit her lip, not really knowing how to thank her for all the effort.

"Oh, it's ok." Glinda grinned at the little girl, who was already giggling at her again.

"As long as I don't have to change her." She trailed off, with a wink at Elphaba, who only laughed briefly.

"Alright," she said to the infant, still smiling, "Let's see whatcha got, hm?"

"Uhm, Glinda.." she said carefully, after unwrapping Nessa completely from her many layers.

"We don't have anything to diaper her back up with.." she looked around carefully again.

The blonde, who had been making tea looked up from her task, and in her turn scanned the room.

"Nope." She replied.

"We have some old cloths that are soft and might be just right.." she mumbled more to herself than to the green woman opposite her.

"I'll be right back." She turned to walk out of the door.

"Chis..could you help me look?"

With that both her and the monkey disappeared, and Elphaba used the opportunity to give her daughter a bath, and reassure herself, that she was still in one piece from head to every one of her ten toes.

When she was rubbing a very happy baby dry, she turned around at the sound of footsteps behind her.

"Just in time!" she said, looking up to find a laden Glinda there.

But the sight that met her wasn't the one she expected, for in the doorway to the kitchen stood Mem.


	53. Chapter 53

„YOU!" Mem pointed at the green woman who stood frozen before her.

"YOU!"she wiggled a gnarled finger and took a step forward.

Elphaba, instinctively stepped back, but immediately turned back towards the small infant who had begun to cry at the sudden and loud sound.

Nessa was screaming heartbreakingly.

With a swift step forward, she fixed the old woman with a warning stare and quickly cradled the infant to her.

"Shhht…shhht.." she bobbed the upset girl up and down, her eyes not leaving Mem's who was staring at her now, unsure, stilled in motion.

"Shht.."Elphaba chanced a brief look down at her daughter, when she saw the old woman not moving forward any further.

"_Oh..Nessa..Nessa..youuu're soo beautifuuul.."_ she sang softly to the little girl, smiling on the last note, when she saw the tears begin to subside.

Cradling the calmed infant close to herself, she took a couple of steps back and looked dangerously at the other woman in the room.

Bewilderment was written on the old Nurse's face.

Here was the Wicked Witch of the West, in all her green glory.

The Wickedest Witch there ever was..

And she held a child to her, a child she had smiled at, and sang to..

And the fierceness in her eyes wasn't due to any wickedness..wasn't for herself, but for the little baby in her arms.

There was a look she knew, if any.

A mother's look.

Mem's heart and indoctrination towards the green skin fought in her chest.

Suddenly, in the midst of all the turmoil, she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"It's ok, Mem." A very familiar and soft voice said near her ear.

Despite herself, the old woman relaxed at the words.

Glinda simply passed her by and walked over to the green woman, who was now almost hiding in a corner by the window.

Mem wanted to shout a "No!" at her, years of protectiveness towards her little protégé almost taking over, but there was such a reassuring matter of factness to Glinda's stride, that she couldn't get the words out of her mouth for surprise, before the blonde girl was over by the Wicked Witch's side.

"_Here..I got some of the old dish towels.."_ Glinda said very softly, nodding down to the bundle in her arms.

She was careful to disturb neither the small infant nor, especially, the very frightened green witch in her kitchen.

There was fear in Elphaba's eyes, when they found Glinda's.

"It's ok." the blonde said very gently, and leaning down to Nessa, rose her index finger to wipe at a leftover tear in the small, green eyes.

Her words, however, had been meant for Elphaba who visibly unwound her tight frame somewhat and allowed the petite witch to lead her by the arm back to the kitchen sink.

Ever so slowly, mistrusting her shaking hands, Elphaba put the infant back on the laid out towels.

Glinda brushed the tips of her fingers tenderly over the cheek of the small girl, before tucking that ever errant stray strand of hair out of a green face in the same manner.

The green woman looked up at her at the soft touch, and Glinda could see, that she was about ready to cry from the strain and fear of the last few minutes.

"We really need to get you a hairclip or something." She joked at the other witch, who, gratefully smiled back at her.

Elphaba then turned back to Nessa, who was already moving around and getting unrestful.

Her still shaking green fingers danced over the little girl's stomach, tickling her lightly, before she lifted up her legs and took one of the dishrags from the pile Glinda had brought.

"So, Miss Nessarose.." she smiled around the crack in her voice, "let's see how we're going to fare with a few _pink_" she rose an eyebrow meaningfully at Glinda " dishtowels."

The blonde laughed, glad that the tension was somewhat broken.

" I swear they're clean!" the blonde laid two fingers over her heart.

Suddenly she was pushed aside roughly.

"Girls.." Mem muttered beside her.

"You are doing this all wrong." She cast a stern side look at Elphaba, who, surprisingly, could read somewhat of a gruff apology in her eyes.

Unfolding the dish towel, and then quickly refolding it into a much spacier form, she swiftly took over Nessa's tiny legs, edging her mother out of the way with her hip, and wrapping the baby up just as quickly.

Elphaba meant to protest, but a swift look at Glinda and brief shake of a blonde head, quickly stalled the words in her throat.

"Then you go and wrap it like this..once around..and tuck it here..and there..you see.." Mem murmured for her benefit…" All set!"

With a bright smile, she held a happily gargling Nessarose up into the air.

"Well..there's a happy baby..isn't there!" she tickled the little girl's stomach with her nose, which made both of the younger women gasp in surprise.

"Ah! Miss Elphaba!" Mem had finally remembered her name from her college rooming with Galinda days, it seemed " The little girl is getting all clammy and cold. You really need to watch her better, lest she cools out!"

Her right quickly darted out and grabbed the towel construction Glinda had prepared.

Finding a fluffy blanket underneath the towel, she shot the blonde a look with a brief disbelieving shake of the head, and carefully wrapped the baby into yet more pink.

She then proceeded in handing her back over to Elphaba, not without a bit of more advice, though.

"You especially need to keep the head warm, " she said, readjusting the blanket over Nessa's skull.

"Of course." Elphaba only muttered, too stunned for a more articulate reply.

"Tea?" Mem now turned to Glinda.

Her eyes darted quickly between her and the green woman for a couple of times.

She then handed the blonde a teapot and a few mugs.

Turning back to the sink, and tidying up, she was silent for a few minutes, while Glinda set the table with porcelain, sugar and milk, and Elphaba, sat down dumbly, rocking a tired baby to sleep.

Both of them looked at each other, unsure of what to expect next.

" Tea.." Mem muttered, finally.

"Tea..when I am sure, that you two haven't gotten anything to eat since lunch.." she shook her head at herself, not turning around from the sink where she was busying herself at.

Glinda almost dropped the spoons in her hands, turning a deep scarlet.

Of course, she wasn't dumb, Mem wasn't..

There was a green witch with half a white face and a princely uniform sitting in her kitchen.

The same uniform she had seen in a forest shade on a particular prince not too long ago..and in black and white in the Ozian newspaper she read in the mornings before handing it on to the Lady of Oz…

And yes, she had always wished for her little girl to bring home a nice and handsome enough prince and have many pretty and well behaved children with him.

But life, she knew..life was such a long and twisted road.

She had gotten used to the idea of little Glinda ruling all of Oz..and after a while, she had even gotten used to the one of her darling little girl maybe bringing home a princess instead.

For if such was the way..just as long as she wouldn't spend the rest of her days alone.

That Mem did not want for her..had never wanted..and that was exactly what Glinda had been.

Alone..with only these strange and dangerous men around her.

Well, the old woman sighed to herself, walking over to the ice box to fix the girls some dinner.

If she had gotten used to the whole Ruler of Oz thing..and then the princess matter..she would certainly get used to the woman being green as long as she made her little Glinda happy.

Who was she to judge anyways?

Life's roads, she knew, were long and forever turning.

She quickly stole a glance over to the little pink bundle in the Wicked Witch's arms, and saw the two women smile at each other over the baby's head.

Well, she figured, things could have been worse.

She remembered, shuddering, the slimy suitors of Glinda's.

And this way..well..this way..she even got a baby in the deal.

She walked over to the stove to put some pots up.

This might actually be better, than she had hoped for..even if the green woman was a vegetarian.

This chapter is dedicated a little to the wonderful person Mem's character is leaning on in it.

My Grandmother.

Who had quite a time with the gay thing, but got over it, just to see me be happy.

The last fight we had was about me being supposed to cut my hair short, so I'd meet more girls.

#itgetsbetter

Just because I feel that I need to say this in this place (seeing as I am yapping your ear..uh, eyes off already, ) this is not a Gelphie because I loathe Fiyero, or really, really want Elphaba and Glinda to be something they're not.

This is my exploration of the dynamic of the characters as I perceived them. And I am trying to treat all of them, even the straw ones, respectfully, since I do see, how loved they are by some of you ;-)

On another note, I do apologize if this chapter might have been a little rough around the edges..I have been at work all day, was supposed to be asleep an hour ago and can't even remember my own name right now. But it has been insinuated in the last reviews that a new chapter might be more welcome than an answer to a review, so here it is. Take care, everyone, and sleep well.

xoxo

ami


	54. Chapter 54

Both women were silent as they walked back to Glinda's chambers, each lost in her own thoughts.

When the blonde opened the door for Elphaba, who was carrying a sleeping Nessa , she could feel the green witch sigh heavily upon having to reenter the space in which she was probably feeling a little imprisoned by now.

_Tommorrow.._Glinda thought to herself.

Everything would be decided tomorrow.

Anxiety briefly swept over her at the prospect of the high gamble, but Glinda the Good shushed the nagging little voices of self doubt quickly.

They, she had learnt quickly, never got you anywhere.

However, her mind reminded her, as she watched Elphaba settle the sleeping baby into the bed, that now, there was more at stake than just herself.

She felt her heart flutter in her chest with a sudden surge of fear.

Swallowing it down, the blonde shook her head in fierce resistance to the claws of terror.

Tomorrow..she reminded herself.

Tomorrow the dice would roll.

Everything had already been set in motion..there was no going back now.

Sixteenhundred hours.

Elphaba looked briefly out of the window, unconsciously sighing again, and it was this that made Glinda's will steel itself again.

She had made the right decision.

It was true, this was, indeed, some risky business.

But worth it.

Her friend, had been hunted like an animal..no, like an Animal for too long..and it was time to stop hiding.

Glinda's eyes fell onto the miniscule sleeping form on her bed, that was now covered by a blanket.

She didn't wish that fate onto Elphaba's daughter either.

That was no way to grow up.

No, tomorrow..by tomorrow the green witch would have done enough hiding and running away for a lifetime.

Or two, actually.

Glinda sighed as the nervousness settled into her stomach for probably the rest of the night.

"Uhm, do you want to take over the bathroom first?" Elphaba was addressing her, uneager to tear the Ruler out of her thoughts.

"No..no..you go ahead, we both know, that I'm going to take longer than you anyways." the smaller woman gave her friend a watery smile.

A dark eyebrow shot up suspiciously, guessing, that the blonde wasn't telling her something.

But Elphaba, thankfully ,trotted on, closing the door behind her.

It would be enough for one of them to lose sleep that night, Glinda figured.

And anyways..Elphaba not knowing what was going on exactly was not only more convenient, as it would keep her out of arguing with the stubborn woman, but it was also essential for what she had planned for the next day, the Good reasoned..

She silently made her way over to the bedroom to pick up her sleeping gear, when she noticed the little girl on the bed stirring in her sleep.

Glinda crawled onto the mattress, only to notice the infant grasp at air, her brow furrowed and her eyes closed.

"Bad dreams..hmm?" she whispered softly to the child.

She settled onto her pillow and slipped off her shoes to draw her legs up onto the covers.

"You know, tiny.." Glinda whispered soothingly to the child, while tenderly drawing the back of her index finger over the deep trenches the nightmare bewitched onto the small human's forehead.

"I do strongly disagree with your mother's choice of naming..shht.." she smiled as the shadows on the little girl's face lessened and stroked gently over the baby's cheek.

"I will call you Rose if you don't mind..and we'll just leave that whole Nessa business behind us,hmm?" the infant yawned in her sleep before snuggling back into the blanket.

Glinda drew her fingertip over a small nose and redrew the outline of her tiny eyebrows.

So much like Elphaba's, perfect for stern looks and scowling, while she had gotten Fieryo's immaculately formed smelling instrument..she mused.

There she was, the tiny Nessarose.

Glinda felt a lump of bitterness rise in her throat.

The daughter, that she never had.

The one she probably would never have…

But the little girl chose just that moment to scrunch her nose and sneeze slightly in her sleep, and made all of the bad feelings go away as if by magic.

Maybe, that was true.

But Glinda's fingertip drew tenderly over the curve of an intricately shaped ear.

Nessarose..and Galinda, who probably didn't look much different.

Undeniably the daughters of Fieryo and Elphaba.

The only two people in her life whom she had ever truly loved.

How could she not but love their children, despite..everything.

Her heart was quite simple that way, really.

It clenched at the thought and she felt tears spring to her eyes.

No..not now..Glinda thought to herself.

Not now.

She swallowed down the pain to have it keep the bitterness and anxiety in her stomach company.

Tonight was the great calm before the storm tomorrow.

Tomorrow the dice would roll.

Sensing her somber mood, the baby stirred uneasily again, and Glinda felt immediately sorry for disturbing her dreams.

"Hey you," she said softly, her voice still thick with the tears that had gotten stuck somewhere in her throat," you're supposed to be having happy baby dreams, you hear?"

She gently caressed the infant's cheek again.

And began to sing the first song that sprang into her head.

"_Blithe smile, lithe limb,_

_She who's winsome, she wins him.._

_I wasn't born for the rose and pearl._

_I'm not that girl.."_

Glinda shook her head at herself, trying to shake off the feeling of sadness and regret.

Her eyes traveled beyond the little and brand new Nessarose over to the far side of the bed.

_Fiyero, Fiyero…_

They had shared another bed, in another room, with walls just as green as these.

There he had lain, on the far side, against the wall, and she had watched him sleep when insomnia chose to steal her dreams from her.

He had been her personified dream, after all.

Smooth and beautiful, he looked as if hewn from stone in the moonlight.

It was then , that Glinda could imagine touching him.

Reach out a hand, a finger, and draw along the outlines of the artfully sculpted muscles, that seemed to be chiseled onto his perfect torso.

But she never did.

They never had.

Yes, they kissed, and he even held her during the cold and thunderous nights sometimes, but there was always, always, an invisible line that divided their huge bed right through the middle, and that they would, invariably wake up, each on their own side of, every morning.

Glinda sighed as she played with Nessa's ..Rose's, she corrected herself, sparse, dark locks.

She had wanted this so much.

When they would be married, she had thought to herself, then.

It would be easier..she would..would give herself up to Fiyero to produce beautiful little babies, just like this one.

There had never been much to be giving up, Glinda amended, as he had seemed to be just as unenthusiastic about the whole matter of physical intimacy as she had been.

As if on cue, the door to the bathroom opened and the reason to Fiyero's withholding stepped out.

He had been faithful to her.

Her.

Her best friend.

All of these years.

Glinda had realized it only after the two of them had run off together.

Shattering all of her dreams and aspirations.

And faith in an already dark world..

The blonde sighed as Elphaba rummaged around the other room for a book to bring to bed.

_Typical,_ she thought, ignoring the flutter in her chest at the sudden nearness of the other woman.

Always, Glinda had felt comfortable with Fieryo, because he had shared her coolness and been undemanding, despite sharing the same bed with her, night after night.

From what her friends told her, that was a small fortune.

And she had always felt so decidedly normal in this truce the two of them held.

She had enjoyed his company, loved him for his laugh, his easygoing and merry genuinity inside the evil workings of the castle.

His devotion to this dream of theirs.

She had loved the idea of him.

And it had taken her the threat of losing Elphaba to realize, that in this she had been unjust and was just as much to blame for his betrayal as Elphaba had been in luring him away.

She had loved Fiyero in her own way.

In the way of fairytales and handsome princes and pretty princesses, that were just made for each other and had many happy children and a happy people and a verdant, gleaming castle.

But there had never been.. this.

_This.._Glinda thought, as Elphaba careful not to disturb neither her nor Rose, climbed into bed to rest against the far side of the wall.

_This.._she thought, shuddering involuntarily, as the other woman brushed her slightly in passing.

Elphaba crept under the blanket, before propping herself up against the wall in slow motion and with another glance at the still sleeping baby, and a brief radiant smile to Glinda who was still drawing circles into the few strands of fine hair, opened up her book and began to read it on her knees.

Elphaba was never as beautiful as this, the blonde thought to herself.

With her glasses on, reading and relaxed, her hair falling like dark water about her shoulders.

It didn't matter how many flowers Glinda put in her hair..the dresses..the blouses..it was hard to pinpoint.

She didn't know if it was the intelligence, the interest or her joy in reading, that made the green woman glow so much, Glinda wondered, but she was a keen judge of beauty, and Elphaba..was simply..breathtaking.

Blinking a few times to clear her head from the dangerous path it was treading on, Glinda got up on her elbows.

"I'll be in the bathroom." She whispered softly, and was only acquiesced by a curt nod.

Their old routine: same, same, but different.

Closing the door behind her after tiptoeing through the room, Glinda finally had some alone time with the mirror.

_This._

She thought to herself again, studying her reflection.

How dumb it all was, really.

Just a reporter, with a hunch..the prolonged absence of men in her life..and people had begun to speculate.

Had made her begin to speculate.

The tears she had cried over Fiyero had been out of fury, out of abandonment, out of betrayal..and few.

Not that she hadn't been bitter about the whole matter..

But Elphaba…

Glinda shook her head at herself.

She had been busy.

Busy, busy.

But once in a while, there had been the occasional, emboldened noblewoman sweeping her over the dancefloor.

And she wouldn't smell of sweat and tread on her toes, or push her around indiscriminately.

But their steps would match, and she would lead, like one who has been led before.

There would be a strength in her arms, that would not be brutish, but soft, and her arms would wind themselves along Glinda's back and waist like pretty snakes, and her body, too, would turn and twist, fluidly, all of a sudden, serpentine.

And their eyes would catch each other, occasionally, and there would be a twinkle in them and shyness, instead of whispered insinuations.

And Glinda would feel her heart leap out of step, and blood rush to her face.

The rumor with an ounce of truth to it.

She knew.

Had known for a little while now.

And it had been comfortable, this knowledge, since she neither had intended to do anything about it, nor been in a position to.

And now..

She still didn't intend to do anything about it.

Neither was she in a position to.

The effect Elphaba was having on her was puzzling to no extent, true enough, but that was to be expected, after all, with their history and proximity.

Glinda shook her head at herself, before removing the last of her make up.

_No, no, no.._

The baby in her bed, begotten by her stolen away boyfriend after all, proved that the other woman was more than straight anyways.

And _Elphaba_..this was Elphaba..and just..unthinkable.

Glinda would just have to suck it up, she told herself, and get the green witch in her bed her own rooms as soon as that was possible without blowing their cover.

She would be happy to have her friend around as long as possible.

And she mustn't, simply mustn't screw this up.

Not for..for _this_.

Especially not now, that it seemed that her roommate was actually intending to stick around for a little while.

"_If only..",_ the blonde's mind interjected out of nowhere, as she reached for the door handle.

"_No,"_ Glinda thought defiantly to herself, leaning heavily against the wood, before opening it.

"_Don't wish, don't start,  
Wishing only wounds the heart.."_

She sang softly to herself, before straightening back up and bracing herself for the soft light of the desk lamp in an otherwise dark room.


	55. Chapter 55

„Elphaba?"

Glinda's voice was hesitant in the semi darkness.

And it wasn't met with an answer.

"Elphie?" panic began to creep through the blonde's torso like a terrible spider uncurling its legs.

Glinda shuddered at the sensation.

Night had fallen, and with the eerie silence that the bustle and warmth of the day had left behind,

Glinda remembered a darkness that was threatening them at all times.

Subdued..barely restrained, by a simple spell…

For now.

It was only, always, for now.

Glinda had allowed her mind to relax with Elphaba's presence.

Had allowed her guard down.

Yes, had..forgotten.

For there were other matters..

Tomorrow.

Fear gripped her heart tightly now.

It beat wildly against the cold threads that the despicable arachnid was weaving.

Glinda stopped at the doorframe of the bedroom.

There were small beads of sweat meeting the collar of her shirt.

But Elphaba..Elphaba was only sleeping.

The book lay, askew and still open, on the covers, and a green cheek was resting awkwardly on an emerald shoulder.

Glinda sighed in relief.

Subdued for now..only for now..

But still.

Now, was good enough for her, Glinda thought to herself.

Carefully, as not to disturb the slightly drooling woman, nor the snorkeling baby resting on the soft mattress, the petite woman crawled through covers and pillows, over to Elphaba's side.

Her neck would hurt like hell the next morning, Glinda knew, if she left her like this.

And therefore, she resumed an occasional nighttime ritual, that she had abandoned so many years ago.

Ever so slowly, Glinda proceeded to extract Elphaba's glasses from her face, without disturbing the sleeping witch.

When she folded them in her hands with a grin of triumph, a green nose scrunched itself up under the loss of contact.

That was one of the gestures Elphaba never indulged in during daytime, and Glinda had giggled so much the first time that the green woman had shown such antics in sleep, so many years ago, that she had almost woken her then.

This time, too, she only allowed her grin to widen as she leaned back to settle the glasses carefully onto her nightstand.

Alright one feat down, two to go.

Glancing at the child resting in between them, Glinda decided, that she would have to approach this matter from the other direction this time.

Climbing over the taller witch without brushing her and disturbing the mattress as little as possible proved to be quite a feat.

But Glinda mastered it finally and squeezed herself in between the wall and the green woman.

Stretching herself out to her full length, which, arguably wasn't much, she aligned her body with that of her old roommate's.

Her left threaded itself ever so carefully under the sheets of Elphaba's spectacular raven hair, cupping the green head ,while her right snuck itself over a stomach and carefully, ever so carefully pulled a lithe body against hers.

Using her left elbow for leverage, Glinda eased herself and her old friend gently down onto Elphaba's pillow.

A shadow passed across the taller woman's face, and Glinda could not help but wonder for a brief moment if she had wakened the other girl, but Elphaba, quickly enough, relaxed back into a regular breathing pattern.

Now, the only thing left to do was to extricate herself from the awkward position she was in at the moment, without waking her up, Glinda thought.

She wasn't quite sure how she would explain the position she was in at that exact moment to her old friend.

However, Elphaba's brow furrowed and Glinda could feel the body she held so close grow tense.

This was definitely not the moment to disturb the sleeping woman, lest she wake up, the blonde reasoned.

Suddenly, she felt Elphaba twitch against her.

The shadows on the dark brow grew deeper , and Glinda could feel the muscles under the green skin tighten even more.

But Elphaba did not wake..

She shivered , instead.

"Shhht.." and before she knew what she was doing, Glinda had touched her forehead to a green temple and was whispering soothing words into a familiar ear.

Her right hand gathered the other woman up against her own body and Glinda slung a leg over a green thigh in comfort.

"Shhht…shhht..my sweet..I am here..nothing will harm you."

Elphaba, clearly agitated now, pulled against her grasp, but Glinda held on tightly.

"_I will not let you go, you hear?" _Glinda couldn't tell where the desperation in her voice now had suddenly sprung from..but there it was.

The green woman in her arms shook again.

"I am here, Elphaba, and I will not let you go, ok? I promise..I..I have you!" Glinda only became aware, that she was crying when she noticed the wetness on Elphaba's cheeks, from the tears she had cried onto them.

She tried to do the thing from the night before, slipping into Elphaba's semiconscious..the place where darkness and light, reality and dreams met.

But she found no one there.

Elphaba was dreaming in earnest, and there was nothing she could do..except hold her.

Suddenly Glinda felt incredibly lonely.

Despite the fact, that she couldn't have gotten closer to another human being if she had tried, it was to her, as though she held the very embodiment of loneliness in her arms.

This..this was the shape of her solitude.

Given form to in the width of her arms.

It wasn't green skin, that her forehead rested against, but the very shape of her darkest nights.

She felt Elphaba slip from her, and no matter what she did, she would not be able to hold her..

For to hold water..must one not be a cup?

Must one not be the bed of a river?

Again, Elphaba twisted, tearing her out of her thoughts.

The river.

Turning.

In its bed...

Elphaba _moved_ against her.

Glinda felt her breath catch in the roughness of her throat.

Elphaba shook against her again, and Glinda buried her head in the green girl's shoulder.

"_Oh..Oz.."_ she thought, as fire rushed over her.

Heat consumed her and blacked out all thought.

All aspirations, hopes and meanderings of her mind..gone up in smoke.

Simple as that.

It was only her and Elphaba, in the blackest of nights.

And the girl quick against her, like water.

The river turned.

And Glinda's skin became alive..became alive against another skin..which was water..

And yet..

And yet it burned so.

"_Oz…Elphaba.."_ Glinda rasped against a green ear, drowning.

The green woman moved again.

Twisting, turning in her embrace..

It burned her so!

"_You..you need to..to _stop_!_"

And there they were again, the thoughts..and the spider inside of her, with its malicious web.

Despite that other, that warm, body robbing her of her senses.

There was the fear again, with its silver slivers of coldness.

Creeping into her.

Tomorrow.

Glinda, breathing heavily, caught sight of the child sleeping next to the woman..to the woman she loved.

And she saw her, too.

Elphaba.

Oh, Elphaba..

Today..and yet, in her arms.

Burning.._burning_ her.

Her heart beat quickly in her chest..and heavily.

And gone tomorrow.

Tomorrow she would let her go, set her free..bubble her away.

While she, herself, would perish..perish.

Whether in these halls or in the mouldy dungeons of Southstairs…

Elphaba tensed again, pressing her head into the pillow, her body arching off of the bed.

"_Oz,Elphaba." _The blonde pressed her cheek against an emerald one.

"_You just really,really need to stop doing this.."_she breathed heavily into the cotton of her emerald night shirt.

Tomorrow.

When all flames..all fire within her would be extinguished forevermore.

Glinda raised her head, tilting it slightly, her lips hovering just a breath over the place on Elphaba's neck, where her pulse was strongly beating against her dark skin.

"_Green as sin."_ The thoughts floated into her bedazzled head, an echo from the past.

And it was Morrible's voice, now heavy and terrible in her mind.

"_I must keep you safe.."_ Glinda whispered, leaning her head back against a green temple.

Her left snuck itself to the green woman's shoulder, while her right rested above another, wildly beating heart.

"And I will..Elphaba..I will..I promise..I will." She felt the woman against her grow calmer.

"You ..both." she evened out her own breathing, despite panic's cold hand holding onto her heart tightly.

Nothing..nothing must happen to her..or the baby..Glinda thought desolately, chancing another glance in the sleeping infant's direction.

Oh,_ tomorrow_..tomorrow might mean goodbye..another chapter in the life of the hunted witch.

But maybe, maybe this time..Glinda could make it all better instead of worse maybe..

Maybe all they had was now.

But still..now was ok with her, Glinda decided.

Now was very alright.

She felt Elphaba turn her head a little in sleep, and only held onto her tighter.

The woman in her arms was still anxious, was still tense..and Glinda did the only thing she could think of to quieten her.

"_Just you aand I..defyying gravity.."_ she sang softly against Elphaba's cheek.

And again, she tucked the ever errant stray strand of hair out of the beloved green face.

"We'll get you a hairclip, tomorrow, Green Bean.." she said softly, before brushing yet more tears out of her eyes, and wiping her nose with the edge of the covers.

Tomorrow..yes, tomorrow.

It was death..death all of it..and fire ..and life.


	56. Chapter 56

**Elphaba's Dream**

xxx

There was a city of Emeralds glittering beneath her.

Leagues of sparkling stone were spread before her dark,verdant feet, and at the edge…

At the edge of the sea of rock was a white horse.

No, a Horse..and it was as white as the freshly fallen snow.

And running along the perimeter.

Its coat shone against the encroaching darkness.

But it was circling, circling..forever circling..keeping the waves of black at bay..just like that.

"_What a thin veneer of light .How little to keep us safe by.."_ Elphaba found herself wondering as her hands gripped the railing of the bridge she was standing upon.

It, too was roughly hewn from the same viridian gems.

The color of cataractic, green eyes…

The witches' hand wondered at the hardness of the touch, at the surface's roughness upon her palm, as she gripped the boundary that separated her from the great and unmoving river of emerald beneath her.

She needed to see..to reach out.. to the..to the shadows that lay just shy of the ever circling Horse.

"_So that is the guard one hears spoken of.." _reverberated loudly through the skies..

Or maybe it was just her head..she couldn't tell.

But there was, too, a creature, terrible, in the sky.

Winged, and great, it threw fire at the darkness, which hissed loudly in return.

And ever on, the Horse..the Horse circled..

Around and around.

"_Chistery." _Elphaba thought to herself, as she recognized the Monkey's ever present red jacket.

As if to prove her theory, the Monkey screamed in true monkey fashion at the foes in the dark.

She had never heard him like this before..not in all the years..all the years..

And then there was a laughter, quiet and terrible..and not quite human.

The Horse whinnied, and the Monkey screeched again..

And the shadows were silent..unmoving..wavering, like waves on the darkness..waiting..ever so patiently waiting and biding their time, as the Horse circled, and circled..keeping the floods at bay.

"_Where's Chistery?"_ Elphaba whispered to the one who had suddenly appeared next to her.

Worry was lacing her voice, for her winged friend had disappeared, just like that, and the waves were rippling beyond the horizon, waiting, hovering..and the Horse was circling..circling.

"_Why Elphaba, he's asleep. You needn't worry."_ Glinda's voice was soft against her ear.

And indeed, the green woman felt the concern seep out of her like water.

Instead there was a warmth, and a fierce protectiveness enveloping her wholly.

There was a baby in a carriage made from emerald stones, on the bridge she was standing on.. and it was sleeping.

She must protect the child.._her_ child..Elphaba thought.

At any cost.

At all costs.

She heard another infant cry in the distance..but then it was only the wind that picked up.

It rustled the leaves of a far bygone forest where darkness resided, and the cries of the child disappeared amongst its swirling and the rustles of the multifold branches.

There was a woman standing next to her, right next to her, on that bridge, fixing her with impossibly blue eyes.

And Elphaba was glad for their blueness, for all the green, the pale, blind greenness around, was beginning to unnerve her.

"_Look, Glinda,"_ she whispered her head turning again towards the border of their stony land, where Peg's coat gleamed against the darkening blackness engulfing them on all sides.

His bright, shiny fur was beginning to get matted with spots of gray, where sweat and his exhaustion showed.

"_So little light." _Elphaba whispered, concerned, to the petite woman next to her.

Her hand slipped a little on the barrister, and the rough stones cut her palm open, drawing blood immediately.

The wicked witch turned her palms to look at them, and wondered at the contrast the red made on the green of her skin.

She watched the first drops of blood fall to the emerald floor of the bridge, and could not help but marvel at the overly bright colors.

"_They are complimentary."_ Glinda spoke up beside her, and out of nowhere produced a handkerchief.

"_Silk, of course.",_ Elphaba thought to herself, as she felt the soft material on her hands.

It was such a nice contrast to the hardness of the bridge before.

Such a nice contrast.

The white, and silk, like pearly water in this land of stone.

But suddenly Elphaba found herself looking again at blue.

"_Sapphires."_ She thought to herself, distractedly, trying to remember which stones would go with Glinda's eyes.

But she quickly disregarded the idea, for the jewels would not do the sparkling depths justice.

They were like the embodiment of every water that she had ever crossed.

And just as she thought the thought, the bandages on her hands dissolved into liquid and dripped from her hands, leaving the skin underneath mended.

Glinda took her mended fingers into her white glace gloves, the same ones she had worn the evening of the ball.

They both stared at the play of white against green.

And then again, it was Glinda who looked up at her, her eyes an impossible blue yet again.

But this time it was the blue of summer skies.

Skies full of sun and warmth and the very radiancy of life.

" _I am so in love with you, Elphaba."_, the blonde whispered, and suddenly the wind became very still.

Elphaba looked down at their joined hands again, and all of a sudden, she was holding a pair of gloved ones of a much coarser material, and looking up, she looked into a pair of puppet bead eyes.

A very, very familiar pair.

The hands were holding onto hers tightly, too tightly, not letting go, as she pulled at them.

"_You're hurting me."_ She said matter of factly.

And Fiyero looked back at her with amazement in his features.

But his grip softened.

"_You are not seeing everything." _He said obscurely, and turned his head towards the graying sky, where the Horse was still running along the perimeter of the green stone, now an almost completely dark gray itself.

Elphaba saw the wavering ocean of black stand out starkly against the first hints of light that the day was bringing.

A great wave, waiting to crash.

For a moment, there was a silver flash of metal in the sea of the green forest to her right, but when she turned, it was gone again.

She returned the gaze back to the scarecrow, meaning to ask him if that was, what he had meant, but he was gone, and her hands were empty once again.

Glinda stood a little ways away from her on the bridge, both of her white hands resting on the barrister, and looking out towards the rising sun.

Elphaba could feel the tension in her body and see the apprehension in the blonde's pale and drawn face, as she strode to stand beside her.

She followed a pair of sapphire eyes over to the edge of the horizon, where Pegs was still circling, almost black now himself.

"_It is time."_

Glinda breathed into the chilly early morning air, her breath left a soft mist, hovering like magic.

She turned around towards Elphaba with a strained smile.

"_For you see, tomorrow has become today."_

With that she quickly kissed Elphaba on the lips and the green woman awoke.


	57. Chapter 57

„Glinda?"

Elphaba's voice came up empty in the great vacuum of their room.

For a moment..just for a moment, Elphaba thought they were back at Shiz, and her blonde roommate had just stepped out to get breakfast or set out onto her Sunday morning routine of extra moisturizing in their bathroom,while she was still asleep.

But no such thing.

There weren't the great, leather bound spines of her beloved books greeting her eyes when she opened them.

The room was green.

As green as her dream.

The city of stone.

The dark wave of evil intent..waiting,poising..ready at a moment's weakness…

To crash.

"_Glinda?"_

This time, Elphaba's voice broke around the simple word.

But again,she wasn't met with an answer.

Fear gripped her tightly,and out of habit, her eyes scanned the corners of the bedroom for her broom.

She usually kept it there for that sole reason.

For comfort,when nightmares and dark visions of the past and the future would tear her from sleep.

Her mind struggled ,still, with reality.

Her broom, always in the corner..

In the small rooms she had never called home for more than a few months..

That she had never been able to make a home out of..make a home of with..

An alarm clock floated silently by.

And another one.

Silenced for her benefit, obviously, since Glinda was nowhere to be seen.

Elphaba blinked twice.

And there it was.

The silence.

Too much of it.

It disturbed her, for there was a sound missing, actually two..

Or maybe even three.

"_Nessa?"_ Elphaba's hand alighted on the spot, where her baby should lay..sleeping, breathing, making little kitten sounds .

But there was no Nessarose, there was no Glinda, and yes, there was no Galinda.

Her world, like her bed, was empty.

Empty, empty, as it had always been…not always..but before..and yet…something had changed.

Fear slid up behind her and fastened her in its iron hold, before Elphaba could follow the thought.

What had happened?

The dream would not release her from its clutches yet, and she could almost, see, again, the great and swirling mass of darkness..and metal, glinting in a faraway forest…and dread settled upon her.

Unspeakable dread.

Her eyes traveled to the window, beyond its confines.

Of course it was facing to the West.

Of course…

For she had..she had felt Glinda..

Felt Glinda look for her..seek..

And that was why she mustn't seek out and try to reach for Galinda.

Who knew who would be able to sense her?

There had been forces,dark and powerful following Chistery..and she hadn't felt them..been blind…she who saw..

Cold fear trickled down her back.

No, her daughter's only safety lay in secrecy.

And in a scarecrow doomed to never die.

And a former Wizard,her father, if he had found them..

There was nothing…nothing, she could do..and she must..

Must trust.

Trust them, for not to endanger Galinda…

She must trust.

Fear made itself known in her chest.

Resting,poising..cold..

But she would not let it escape and govern her actions.

She would not!

She was a logical being..and she mustn't let her passions get the better of her, Elphaba reasoned.

Mustn't.

There had been..had been..too much of that already.

With a groan, she wrestled the dread in her down.

There was a child and a …

A friend she could ensure the safety of, however, she tried to reason with herself.

Her fist clenched anxiously around a piece of paper, that had rested on the nightstand where her glasses lay.

"We're in the kitchen. Don't worry!"

Of course.

Glinda.

"_Don't worry.."_ Elphaba whispered too herself.

When had she become the worrying type after all?

She had worried about Nessa during all of her childhood, true enough.

Had even worried about her father, yes, she would still call him that,no sense in making ill of the dead.

The first to despise her.

The first of many.

She had cared and worried for so little in her life.

So little.

All love useless.

All love lost.

She had taken that broom and flown away.

Flown away from it all.

It was then, that she had vowed to herself to never… never care again.

Never to worry..never to care..never to feel…

The Wicked Witch of the West.

The rush of air in her face had brought a terrible, hollow emptiness in her midst.

Worry.

The fear of loosing someone dear to you.

No, not loosing..but be afraid lest harm befall them, and death..death would come in his great dark cloak and take them away, leaving the world such a bleak and lonely place...

Like Nessarose.

Elphaba leaned her head back into her pillow, defeated.

She still missed her sister.

The truly wicked one of the two of them.

She knew that.

Knew it, sometimes, at least the logical part of her did.

But she couldn't help who she loved.

Had never been able to.

It was as though Elphaba had guarded her heart so tightly and closely during the daylight hours, that it had snuck out at night, and wandered around.

Only to return the next dawn to beat painfully in her chest.

As it was doing now.

As it had for as long as she could remember.

But not quite as painfully..not quite as anxiously.

Ah, Nessarose, the Wicked Witch of the East.

Who'd had so much love, but never the one she wanted.

Elphaba sighed and crossed her arms behind her head.

No, she had never wanted.._that_.

That particular curse of her family.

Destroying her life, her soul, if there was such a thing…to pine and wish and run after a love that was not hers to have.

That would not have her.

And then all of a sudden…she.…the despicable green girl..

She'd had it all.

A very Prince..Love for eternity.

"_Literally,"_Elphaba thought bitterly.

The one she had wanted, wanted forbiddingly, since …

Her own perfect little family.

She had not lied..Fiyero had been beautiful to her.

And yet…

Her heart had still snuck out at night.

_Don't wish..don't start.._

Her hand, thoughtlessly, snuck out from underneath the twisted mass of her hair and drifted over to the covers next to her, where someone else had lain.

But the spot was cold now, the sheets smooth.

_Spells…_

Spells were not the only thing that could never be reversed.

And what were spells but a few strung together words..with a meaning that changed the very substance of the world?

Like choices.

Irreversible.

"_Don't worry_." Glinda had written on the white of the paper.

Don't worry.

In overly large letters, so Elphaba would not have to reach for her glasses first.

But the note was useless.

For Elphaba worried.

She worried like crazy.


	58. Chapter 58

**A/N:Hi guys, sorry for taking so long..am rewriting some of the chapters, and that takes a little time. If the style is too dark or hacked off these days, let me know. When in doubt, read the last chapters as poetry..they're kind of tense, emotion and plotwise..Lotsa work, little time to write..apologies..hope to get the Sunday update thing going again. Xoxo**

**Enjoy!**

The green witch rose from the bed with stiff limbs.

Her eyes, with a mind of their own, lingered beyond the skies to the west.

But Elphaba quickly shook her raven head.

She needed to focus.

She must not grow mad.

Again.

With a brief sigh the green woman reached for her glasses and placed them on her nose.

There was a brief flicker of motion at the window.

A familiar, tiny rust colored head peeked through the spot where the pane was missing.

"_I do wonder what his name is.."_ Elphaba thought to herself, still dazed by the dream that had her so emotionally unhinged.

Her mind grasped at something.

Something she could not find purchase of..

But Elphaba decided to let it slip.

There were her other two girls she needed to take care of…

Unconsciously her hand flew to a pair of forest green lips.

No..this wasn't the time to linger on that particular train of thought either.

It definitely wasn't.

_Focus .._Elphaba thought to herself.._focus.._

Her hand gripped the small sheet of paper in her palm tightly.

Focus..

And there it was..

The great, uncoiling wave..the threat..the very heart of the darkness..

Coldness permeated her body.

And Elphaba knew that it wasn't just an after echo of a dream..it wasn't even fear..but..

She snapped out of her searching with a shudder.

There was only so much that one could reach and touch evil without it touching one back.

Only so much.

She felt the darkness seep into the room.

There was something…

Fear slinked back into the empty space with it.

She must find Glinda..she must find Nessarose..

The green witch trembled in the dim light of the early morning.

An alarmclock floated by her.

The devices had followed her from the bedroom, still sounding shrilly in their translucent bubbles, waiting to be freed.

With a shaking finger Elphaba reached out.

The orb burst, and the clock fell, blaring its protest, before being muted by the harsh impact of the purple floor.

But it was enough.

The green witch snapped out of her funk.

She needed to find the solution to this..this problem.

And she needed to sound this out with the one woman who had been touched by this..by this evil.. _thing.._

It was different.

It was different than the average human cruelty..

Darker.

There was an intent Elphaba did not quite understand.

And a magic she could not decipher.

So, what better than to ask the other witch in the emerald prison she was inmate of?

And to make sure, that she wasn't harmed..hurt..frozen to blind, green stone..

No..Elphaba shook her head at herself.

No.

No madness.

"Can you take me to her?" she hurriedly addressed the Squirrel.

The green witch had only been to the kitchen a couple of times, and this place was like a maze..at least Elphaba remembered that much.

She quickly grabbed a pink bathrobe from the back of a chair.

If she was going to get caught by some overeager palace guards, at least it wasn't going to be semi nude in overstretched clothes.

Or maybe it was anyways.

The fluffy pink robe barely reached beyond her waist and fit a little too snugly.

But Elphaba figured, that she was going to go crazy for certain if she wasn't going to leave this wicked room soonish and make sure that at least one of her babies was safe..

The young woman diligently ignored her mind's cheeky injection of "Two babies.." as she followed the miniscule Animal out into the dark hallways.

She certainly had hung around Glinda too much back in the day.

Certainly.

Even her mind still played tricks on her..

After all these years.

But she needed to hang out with her just a little right now.

The blonde had always managed to calm her ragged nerves somewhat..

Well..not always..not..

Not when it had counted most.

The hallway was dark.

This was foolish.

What if she were discovered?

Why must she, the only green person in all of Oz, also be the most undercover one?

Elphaba cursed her skin color.

Something she hadn't done in a long, long time..not ever since..since Shiz.

In a classroom with a bubbly beautiful blonde girl that had called her a vegetable name..what had it been?

Artichoke.

Elphaba shook her head at the meanderings of her thoughts..

But this was better..better than fear, she thought, as she tried to follow the small Squirrel's hasty lead.

Artichoke.

How unusual.

She had thought it even then.

Glinda loved words.

It had been obvious from the very start.

Elphaba, who loved books, had noticed.

But Elphaba was green.

And she had cursed it then.

And Glinda?

Galinda then, the green woman reminded herself.

Galinda was blonde..and she played it up to the truest meaning of the word.

What a pity.

What a shame.

And it was Elphaba who was despised..simply for being green.

How unfair.

It had taken Elphaba a long time..or maybe just the space of a dance..an evening, a night, to see,that Glinda covered up her gentleness and vulnerable,loving nature by superficialty.

And her smarts.

Glinda was smart in a different way than her.

The former wicked witch hurried her steps.

She needed those smarts now.

She needed..

But her head, well trained after all, stopped her thought before it could sound itself out in the hollow of her troubled mind.

Finally..finally..the Squirrel came up short before a great, oaken door.

Elphaba carefully tried the handle of the kitchen door, dreading, what she might find behind its confines.

What if there was no Glinda..what if there was no Nessarose?

If this was a wrong door, the place full of guards?

Or worse..

The two of them hurt..harmed..dead..

The room blinded her for a moment.

There was so much light in the kitchen, streaming in bountiful through the wide, open windows, that it took her quite aback after the dark shadows of the emerald halls.

When her eyes had finally adjusted themselves to the brightness , she saw Glinda looking at her surprised.

The blonde was sitting at the kitchen table, her hair drawn up into a casual ponytail.

Obviously, she had been reading the newspaper over tea, while Nessa was sitting nestled on her hip, reaching, gagaing, for a corner of the printed paper, that kept being rustled by the wind.

"Awake?" not missing a beat, Glinda smiled at her with a disturbingly merry twinkle in her eye.

And Elphaba couldn't say what it was that she felt..it was relief, release..but at the same time, something invisible gripped her tightly around the chest and made her want to cry all over again.


	59. Chapter 59

Glinda was only on page two of the article, that "The Ozian News" press had obviously waited for to print last night.

And for the little time she had given the reporter to actually write the thing, it had turned out truly magnificent.

"_Well_," she turned to the baby still resting in her arm, poised against her hip, while she brought the teacup to her lips with the other," _This might actually be the key to world peace_."the Ruler of Oz thought to herself with a grin at the child.

Only on page two, and she was already ready to write a letter to her parents, asking for forgiveness and reconciliation.

_Love_…it read.._Love has the power to save us all._

Glinda sipped at her tea, shaking her head at herself.

She'd never.._never _have thought that of all the people it would be Nessa and Elphaba's beloathed father who'd help her out in saving Elphaba from the curse her skin had thrown upon her.

Sin.

Forgiveness.

"_All of us strive to be forgiven by the ones we love..the ones we have hurt the most."_Glinda's eyes traversed to the far side of the kitchen, where Elphaba was now enveloped in a great bearhug by Mem.

Who would know better about that,than she, Glinda..whom everyone insisted on calling "The Good"?

Green as sin.

Oh, and not to forget..she'd have to thank Morrible, too..there would be time for that later..either way.

But it had, actually been Nessa..Nessa and Frex, whatever.

They,with their incessant preachings about the unnamed God, the imprint of guilt their zealousness had left upon the green girl..

Something she had never been able to fight.

Elphaba…Elphaba had always claimed to never have had a soul..to never pray..to not care.

But they had spent many a night by the dying embers of their room's fire, discussing life and love, and sin and God and faith.

And as much as Elphaba had denied it, she had always found herself unworthy of love..had always cursed her skin, had believed, before anyone had even uttered the word, that she was, after all, truly wicked.

The only one without a soul.

Of all people.

It had been quite ridiculous,really,Glinda had to admit.

And she had tried to make Elphaba see.

See that she her sister's deformity wasn't her fault..wasn't her fault at all.

That her father, deep down, even though Glinda sometimes truly doubted it by Elphaba's tales, did, in fact love her.

That …

It was so strange…Elphaba who was a better person than anyone in Shiz and didn't believe in any God was sure that she was damned to no soul.

And all of it thanks to the Unionist faith.

That came and preached love and reconciliation but left a nagging feeling of dirtiness, of sin,of unwholesomeness..

You didn't have to believe in it,to fear for, there always was, in every single soul's heart, the seed of doubt planted..the seed of fear, of a "what if".

"What if there _was_ an Unnamed God?"

What if he _did_ see everything..everything..every wrongdoing..every wrong thought..what if?

It left one hopeless, defeated..but then,there was this love, that Nessa had always preached and never practiced.

The great desire for Forgiveness..to be forgiven for the wrongdoings we inflicted on each other.

The potential to be relieved of the guilt and weight of each little betrayal, each lie, each cruelty..to feel whole and clean once again.

To be loved, despite it all..despite all the wickedness inside of us.

There was this great hope.

So great, that it made up a whole faith..a faith hardly anyone dared to believe in.

"_Yes,"_ Glinda thought, bouncing the little girl up and down making her laugh happily,_" our children must learn, what happens to the Wicked.." _

The tiny Nessarose reached for one of the golden curls that framed her face and sparkled in the sunlight.

"_For we are all of us, Wicked...that is why we punish them so severely."_

Her eyes traveled back to the green woman in her kitchen, who was still held in a death grip by the old nurse..

Elphaba's eyes met her own with a bewildered look in them.

But Glinda thought of the March of the Witch Hunters..their thirst for Elphaba's life..

It was as though they had meant to make a blood sacrifice for their own sins..their own fears in the form of the gentle,loving woman.

The blonde felt her eyes begin to fill with tears.

How truly horrible that had been.

Pagan.

And all because of some well placed propaganda.

Yes,she would have to thank Morrible, she figured, as she took the smiling infant in between her hands and lifted her up.

This thing worked both ways after all.

And now, she would make the very impersonation of evil the epitome of Goodness through repentance.

All through the power of love.

It was almost like the dictionary definition of he Unnamed God's laws.

"_For maybe..maybe there is hope for all of us.."_ the last line of the article read.

Glinda couldn't have written it better herself.

But would it work?

Would the people dare to believe?

Mem, who always read the newspaper before she did,at least, was crying and whispering into a green ear, and Elphaba,too,looked close to tears.

Only one way to find out..

At Sixteen hundred hours.

There was no way of going back now.

Glinda felt anxiety lay its heavy rope around her heart.

But she shrugged it off,quickly.

Not now,not in the daylight.

"Oh well, "the Good said with a forced air of amusement in her voice to the little girl next to her.

She blew little bubbles into the milky hot liquid in an effort to amuse the child and to cool the tea.

As expected Nessa's eyes grew wide and her little hands immediately reached for the glass.

"You're waaaay too tiny, little Rose, to have tea yet!" Glinda playfully admonished the little girl, setting the cup down.

"You'll have tea, and then you'll go hop a bop a hopping around the castle!" she lifted the girl into the air with both hands and bounced her around in tact with the song she was singing.

"Hop a bop, and high, and low..and left, and right..now, is that so?" the baby gargled, happily spitting over Glinda's pink shirt.

The blonde only smiled however and shifting her grip pretended for the little girl to fly.

"A bird!" she mock gasped for the baby's benefit.

"Or what else flies?" She looked at the laughing child again.

"Maybe..maybe it is a " her eyes found Elphaba's again, who looked at her flabbergasted, divining what she would say next.

"Witch?" Glinda looked at the baby, which was squealing with delight.

But her eyes had grown suddenly serious again, and they caught the somberness in Elphaba's across the kitchen.


	60. Chapter 60

**A/N: Hi guys,I will serve the cliché and begin this AN by way of apology for my long absence..Work..sickness..studying..more work.. do you really care?No? I didn't think so..well, but I do want to apologize :-) **

**I have an inkling,that the document uploader will botch the chapter breaks I put in this..but I do hope you won't be bothered too much.**

**This chapter is kind of all over the place..I do hope,that it does make sense, anyways..**

**So enough with the apologizing..in good news: There will be a Christmas gift long shot for you guys sometime soon ( I actually have a beta for that) It's just full of..apples..and won't be published under my usual penname..you know..surprise;-)**

**Take care everyone!**

Mem had rushed her unexpectedly and captured the green witch in a fierce hug that managed to crush the air from her lungs completely.

If Elphaba had needed something to bring her back to reality…

This was definitely it.

"Uhm.." she began breathlessly, but the old woman was not about to release her yet.

Turning her head towards the blonde who now watched them with unmitigated interest, Elphaba mouthed a silent "_What?"_ to her friend.

Glinda shrugged her shoulder's suspiciously innocently , and bounced the baby on her hip a little as she smiled wickedly at the green witch.

But Elphaba's attention was quickly drawn back to the blonde's old nurse, who, still, did not release her.

However, she was now whispering into her ear, so that Glinda couldn't hear what was only between them.

"_You take good care of her, you hear?" _Mem's voice harshly rasped against her earlobe.

Elphaba was taller than her.

The witch was more nonplussed than ever, but only nodded in quiet consent, her heart constricting painfully in its confines.

"_You don't hurt her, you hear?"_ there were tears in the old woman's voice now, and Elphaba couldn't say why she was so emotional this morning, but again, she simply nodded, for fear of her own voice cracking.

"_At least..try to not hurt her as much as it is possible for two people to not harm each other._" The old and broken voice sounded against her in a whisper.

And this did it.

Elphaba's arms , pressed against her body as they were, bent at the elbows, and returned the firm embrace she was kept in.

"_I'll..I'll try."_ She whispered back.

"_I'll..I'll really try ." _

After a few moments, that had Glinda pause her teaspoon in mid air, both women released each other finally.

And both of them were miserably failing to downplay the dabbing at their eyes,

The blonde's eyebrows shot up in amazement.

She turned back to the child and played with the little girl, before looking back at her roommate.

Elphaba blinked a couple of times before sliding into the seat next to her daughter and her friend

As soon as the green witch had sat down next to Glinda and Nessarose, a cup of tea appeared before her almost as if by magic.

Mem had set it down, grumbling softly to herself,before wordlessly turning around and busying herself further with the kitchen.

Momentarily distracted by the old woman,who had gone back to her old misanthropic ways as though as nothing had happened between them just moments ago, she focused back on the little girl which was reaching for her with a big smile on her face.

Little baby noises and a pair of tiny reaching hands in her direction made Nessa's intentions pretty clear.

With a fake pout Glinda handed her over.

"I guess the young Miss has tired of the old Lady already," she mocked with a melodious tone, unable to hide in her eyes, that she was just as happy as the baby to see the green woman by her side.

Elphaba felt her heart leap in happiness in her chest, before frowning at the child she held out in front of her.

"Miss Nessarose," she began sternly, it was hard to subdue the grin tugging at the corners of her mouth," have we not discussed this previously?"

She clenched her teeth so she would not laugh back at the obviously ecstatic infant and the suspiciously raised blonde eyebrow to her right.

"No matter how tiring Miss, I apologize, The Lady Glinda the Magnificient Good, gets" and this time her own caught a pair of blue eyes that were ready to retaliate any mockery at a heartbeat's notice.

"We must.." she returned her attention back to her daughter," I repeat, we must .."

Drawing the child closer to her she whispered loudly against soft hair,"Or we will _never_, and I repeat _never _hear the end of it.."

Her chuckling was quickly muted by a dishtowel that had been thrown against her head.

"Ah,thanks." The green witch quipped, and quickly used the cloth to wipe some spit off of Nessa's chin.

Glinda huffed next to her.

"I am so _not_ tiring. Ever!" she said crossing her arms haughtily.

"I am nothing but sheer entertainment. Witty, fun, and well, uhm,.. entertaining, my dear." Her eyes twinkled.

"Too bad you, on the other hand, have neither talent nor appreciation for these qualities."

The blonde cocked her head to the side, and leaned comfortably back into her seat, quite content with herself.

Elphaba stared at her for a moment before laughing out loud.

"Neither do I.." she said between laughs," possess your undeniable skill for early morning hair creationisms" ,there was mockery in her tone as she used one of Glinda's very own neologisms.

But the other woman whose hair, undeniably, was even battling its way out of a simple ponytail, only smacked her lips happily.

"You know," she leaned closer, unlocking her arms and resting them on the table she was now leaning on.

Her voice was low and conspirational.

Mischief was in her eyes.

"I would be very, very careful, Miss Wicked Witch of the West" she said in almost a murmur, but still Mem turned around in surprise at the words.

"If I were to sit in the glasshouse of fashion…to throw rocks on somebody's _hair."_

As if on cue,three sets of eyes traveled over Elphaba's very pink and very short bathrobe and waay too tight shirt.

Before Elphaba could remark upon the fact, that she was actually wearing Glinda's clothes, Mem spoke up.

"It is time that we get the lass a new wardrobe. That shirt hardly fit you when you were in Shiz back in the day, mylady, and I do not dare imagine up to this day, what a time must have been had to swat the boys away from you during the hours of physical exercise."Mem blundered on, intent again on fixing the breakfast and not noticing the deep scarlet that Glinda had turned, while Elphaba was literally biting her lip not to howl with laughter.

The green woman collected herself for a moment, before replying ever so calmly, with a curious, "Indeed?"

Glinda blushed an even deeper shade of crimson and buried her head in her hands.

Before Elphaba could inquire further what exactly caused her such embarrassment, the blonde offered only one word.

"Boq."

Elphaba blinked twice, desperately trying to remember what exercises they had done in Physicals back in Shiz.

She couldn't remember any of it to be honest.

She had done fencing, but for two years, with the students a year above her because all of the first years had gone…

Swimming.

Elphaba had employed the good old, "My skin can't tolerate water" excuse to get her out of the very uncomfortable position of having to undress herself in front of her classmates and confront them with yet more green, while fencing allowed her to even wear a mask and disallowed any form of disnobility towards her person while on the mat.

But of course, Glinda had gone swimming and so had Boq.

Poor,infatuated Boq..seeing his beloved in a bikini had probably knocked him out cold.

Glinda was still hiding her head in her hands, still as red as ever.

"So, Boq fainted when you flashed him in a bikini?" Elphaba asked in mock innocence,while trying to stand Nessa up on her two feet on the table.

One could never start too early with the training.

But Glinda only groaned into her palms.

"Rescue swimming" she mumbled.

The former Wicked Witch looked at her surprised.

Only few knew this, but the young Upland had vacationed with her parents at a lake during the summer since she could literally remember.

She was not only a very expert swimmer and loved the water, but she was also a certified rescue swimmer.

The summers had been long and she had trained for the certificate out of boredom and because of the very cute life guard who had taught the course.

Elphaba knew this as one of few, because she was a miserable swimmer at best, and it had taken Glinda quite a lot of persuasion and reassurances to even get her near the Shiz lake during the steaming days at University.

"_Geez, Elphie, you will NOT drown! And no one will be there! And if you should drown, I'll come and get you.I have a ..te., you know? Anyways, I don't believe you're really that bad of a swimmer. Come on, the water will be so nice!"_

And with that they had gone.

"So you taught him?" Elphaba was still unsure why Glinda was that embarrassed.

"No.." Glinda sighed, finally looking up.

"He got a cramp in the middle of the water, and I, naturally, jumped in and got him."

Her sigh tried to cut the conversation short at this point, but a green brow furrowed still, in question.

"Well, he fought some, cause he was so embarrassed, so I had to stun him with a quick slap to the neck, and he woke up again, while I drew him out"

Elphaba still didn't get the point.

"You draw people out by swimming on your back and holding them to you..and let me just say..he was resting quite comfortably when he came to, just before we arrived at shore."

Merriment bubbled into a pair of green eyes.

"Really?" Elphaba chuckled.

"Yes." Glinda put her head back into her hands.

"The idiot however, _turned,_ just as I was about to let go..and well.." the blonde sighed through her fingers.

Elphaba felt her mouth fall open.

"No!" she breathed in disbelief.

Swallowing down another laugh she quickly amended.

"Well, I am surprised he didn't faint in bliss."she smiled back at the child, who was hobbling up and down.

But Glinda groaned.

"He didn't_ faint._ However, he went back further into the water and refused to come out until after everyone had left."

This time the green witch couldn't help but grin.

"No wonder he was so smitten with you!" she exclaimed.

"Yeah.." raising her head out of her hands, Glinda was now grinning as well,"I couldn't shake him anymore after that."

Both women laughed.

"For the remaining course, we remained in the shallow areas of the lake and did exercises and basic training, cause the boys had the very original idea to pretend drowning so I would jump in after them."

Elphaba snorted.

"Typical."

"Miss Fannings even asked me to resign from the course, after a while." Glinda smiled wistfully.

Her old roommate grew suddenly serious.

"That's not very it is extremely unfair,that you should suffer for their idiocy."

"I know how much you love to swim." She added on an afterthought ,still angry with the cowardly teacher.

One of the inherent traits of Shiz,it seemed.

"We never got any real swimming done anymore,anyways. It was ok."Glinda said evenly.

And then she added on a softer note, trying to lighten the mood, "I much rather went with you anyways. At least you didn't drown on me and insist on my rescuing you."

She had hoped to regain their early, easy tone from before, but Elphaba's eyes were vulnerable as she caught them.

"_Now,didn't I?"_ she said so softly, that Glinda wasn't sure whether she had only imagined the words.

Nessa was now sitting on Elphaba's lap and grasping at the short pink ties of her robe.

Her mother studied her intently, incapable of meeting Glinda's eyes anymore.

But a pink, soft hand reached out and covered hers warmly.

Blue eyes smiled back at her reassuringly when she looked up, and Elphaba was drawn back to Shiz, despite herself.

She had never been the touchy feely huggy type, not even with Nessa,her sister,whom she had cared for,since she could remember.

Therefore,Elphaba could remember very vividly,the first time, that Glinda had held her hand.

It had been just before Doctor Dillamond's class.

Their friendship had still been rather new then, uncharted territory, and Glinda had spent the better part of the morning fixing Elphaba up.

"Helping her out of the Goodness of my heart" as she had put it.

True to her promise, _or rather threat_, Elphaba had thought wrily, the blonde had given her a complete makeover.

The very first morning after the dance at the Ozdust Ballroom, the petite blonde had dragged her to the shops in the small town center, that lay close to the University.

But the green girl had quickly protested by the myriad of trying ons, shops and at the tediousness of it all.

Never one to be defeated easily, Glinda had then embarked on catalogue shopping, but due to Elphie's impossible frame, tall and skinny and lanky, like that of a Colt, much less than that of a young Lady, she had had to return all of the items ordered.

True, they fit, and her verdant roommate could never find anything wrong with them..but Glinda didn't just want something that fit..it needed to fit _right._

It hadn't taken them two hours to realize on their first official day of friendship, that the frilly and the pastels weren't exactly Elphaba's style. No matter how hard they tried, Glinda knew, that her roommate required something simple, and classic.

Something that would show excellence not by being garish or outlandish or daring ,but by being classy and extremely well cut.

If fate had it, that Elphaba could eat anything without thinking about it twice and still look like she just stepped off of a catwalk..then Glinda would be damned not to use that in her quest to instill some style into her new friend.

She also knew, from experience, that that quality was something much sought after and enviable by the other girls..and it just might be the thing to get the green bean to where she wanted her to be.

After two weeks, she had threatened to sing away all night and rob Elphaba of her sleep,if she didn't give her one last chance and accompany her into town the next day for some clothes shopping.

Having grown some confidence in their relationship, Elphaba had been adamant about not going.

But at about four in the morning, and the third rendition of Glinda's entire songbook, she had finally given up.

Both of them had been unspeakably tired, as the blonde had dragged Elphaba, much to the green girl's surprise, not into another dresshop, but straight to a tailor.

With a raspy voice, the Upland girl had instructed the young Cricket as to her plans and orders for her roommate.

Elphaba had grown a deeper shade of green, when the young tailor had nonchalantly asked her to take off her clothes for measurement.

Recognizing this as a blush by now, Glinda had only giggled and slapped her playfully.

"Haave fuhuun!" she had winked at her, before sauntering off.

"I'll be back soon!" she had chirped over her shoulder before closing the door behind her.

Elphie had been embarrassed enough as it was, no need for her to stick around as well.

She would only grow embarrassed for her, and then they would be both of them embarrassed and it would all be quite silly, really, Glinda thought, now blushing herself.

And that way, she could get something else, without having a green impatient burden breathing down her neck.

She returned about twenty minutes later, only to find a still a little darker green version of her roommate chat amiably with the Animal.

"All done!" The Cricket that was somewhere in height between herself and her companion, exclaimed happily.

She had gotten his name through an acquaintance of her mother's.

He dressed all of the better to do Ladies of the area, and after a brief visit from her the previous week, had been quite taken with her and her "Pet project".

Having gotten the measurement done once, she could simply discuss cuts and plans with him, without dragging Elphie around and ruining her voice anymore.

Brilliancy, was her specialty after all.

"What did you get?" the green student asked her after they had left the small shop.

"I'll show you later." Glinda linked her arms with the taller girl.

"I think for now, both of us deserve some hot chocolate,what do you say?" she was beyond happy that her plan had worked out so easily.

Well, not easily, but still.

And now, they both were in town with a whole afternoon to themselves, the sun was shining spectacularly, and fall had decided for this one, last day to remind them of summer more than hint at the rapidly approaching winter.

"Do you know how to whistle?" Glinda asked out of the very blueness of the sky.

Elphaba, lost again in her own thoughts needed a moment to respond to the question.

"Me?Why no..maybe a little. Why do you ask?" she had this habit of raising her eyebrow whenever she asked a question that was truly puzzling her, Glinda had noticed.

"Well, I would like to whistle..but I don't know how." The blonde replied as though this was the most logical thing in the world to say.

The tall, green girl next to her laughed wholeheartedly, the first time, that Glinda had ever seen her do so.

A strand of her hair loosened itself out of the braid she had yet been unable to talk her roommate out of, and Glinda had to catch herself to not tuck it behind her ears.

"_By Oz.."_ she had thought to herself.

"_She really is quite the beauty." _

"_If only everyone could see.."_

Elphaba caught her staring at her.

Again her eyebrow levitated, but the question remained unuttered.

Instead, she pursed her lips, and blew through them.

The sound that she produced was meek, at best, but clearly audible.

Glinda stopped their casual walk, and not releasing her arm yet, turned to her tall roommate.

She tried to copy the way Elphie's lips formed an O, but when she pressed a gust of air through them, nothing came forth but a forced breath.

Both of them stared at each other for a moment before breaking out into laughter and continuing on their way.

Elphaba spent the rest of the afternoon explaining the origins of the whistling languages to Glinda and teaching her an art, that she herself only half remembered from her earliest days of childhood.

A week later, a package arrived, bearing the Cricket's insignia.

Although she did not squee as her blonde roommate did, she could not help but feel a little excited at whatever it had been,that Glinda had dreamed up for her now.

There had been nothing wrong after the first few tries,with the things that the blonde had picked out for her, and Elphaba could not,for her life fathom what Glinda had seen wrong with them, but her excitement and joy was infectious, and she could not help but wonder,what plans had made the fashionista drag her to a fancy,out of the way tailor.

It had been a simple shirt, and a simple deeply blue skirt.

Relief had flooded the green girl immediately.

Glinda had insisted, that she not loose a moment in trying it on, and she had relented.

When the soft fabric hugged itself to her in just the right places, places she wasn't used to feel her clothes touch her at all, to be frank, Elphaba began to understand what had made Glinda drag her to the tailor in the first place.

It was a simple,white blouse, and a very dark, blue skirt.

But the cut was impeccable.

The governor's daughter looked at herself in the mirror,startled to see, how well the blueness of the skirt and the brisk whiteness of the blouse complimented her skin.

They didn't hide it, nor did they highlight, they just..matched.

Before she had a moment to deliberate on that thought,however,there were a pair of hands not her own working themselves through her braid.

Too shocked by her unusual reflection, Elphaba had no chance to protest, before it was undone.

Glinda chanced a look at the clock, and quickly snatched a brush off the nightstand, before informing her friend, that this was the outfit she would wear to class today.

And that the braid simply had to go.

With a few strokes of the brush and the alternate use of the hairband to only hold half of the mass of blackness together, Glinda had quickly unleashed the beauty that she was adamant Elphaba should be known for besides her greenness.

Happy with her work so far, she put her fists to her sides and huffed briefly.

The finishing touch.

She was a fan of finishing touches, it was after all, what made her a fashion icon amongst her peers, and the finishing touch, it was missing.

But she was prepared.

She quickly scurried back to her closet and produced a black satin box.

"Remember what I bought the day we went to the tailor's?" Glinda asked innocently enough.

Of course Elphaba didn't remember because she had forgotten to ask after they had spent the whole day in town, discussing this and that, whistling and laughing.

She had fallen into bed that night, her ribs sore from the laughter and quite exhausted from the walk to all the things that her friend had insisted they simply must see around town.

"Uhm.."she was a little at a loss.

"I didn't show you, don't worry." Glinda grinned at her, while shoving the large box at her.

Elphaba didn't know what to make of it.

She was not going to take any jewelry from her blonde roommate, that much was sure,she thought to herself,already bracing herself defiantly.

But to her surprise, it wasn't a necklace or even a trinket that greeted her, but an unpretentious ball of black lace.

"Hm?" the green girl blinked twice before looking back up at the blonde.

"Well, ties for girls are SO last year, and I might have been a nasty old gnat then, but black IS the new pink ..and I had this idea.." she trailed off, quickly taking the smooth fabric out of the box,which had previously held one of her more precious necklaces.

With an expert shake of her hand, the expensive material unfurled itself out of its cramped state.

Glinda sneaked one of her hands under the dark waterfall of Elphaba's incredible hair, drawing the lace onto the other side of her neck.

She quickly hopped around the green woman and tied the material in a loose, artful knot.

Fidgeting around with it a little, she stepped back and surveyed her work.

A smile spread over face like new sunshine.

She wrinkled her nose up into a grin.

"Perfect."

Elphaba looked at her, suddenly unsure.

Quickly, the Gilikin stepped away from in front of her, freeing the mirror for her roommate's own assessment.

The lace was black.

But it managed to be so black, that it gave off a green shine.

Somehow the darkness shone with a shade not unlike the one of her skin.

It nobly underlined her dark hair and features and highlighted,of all things green about her, her eyes.

Elphaba blinked once.

Then she blinked again.

She didn't recognize herself, almost.

The silky material of her blouse touched her back and sides and accentuated her shoulders.

She involuntary straightened up.

Her let down hair softened her features a little, framing them and making them seem noble somehow, instead of sharp and angly.

She was amazed.

Maybe her blonde roommate wasn't an expert exactly at transforming frocks into ballgowns..but she certainly knew some kind of magic.

And it had definitely been at work here.

A small hand tugged at her arm and drew her back towards a pink bed.

Glinda pushed a stunned Elphaba into a sitting position in between her tumbled sheets and blankets.

She mumbled briefly for the taller girl not to wrinkle her skirt, and shoved her shoes at her.

They had been brought to a high shine by the petite witch, while Elphaba had been taking in her transformed reflection.

"Put these on." Glinda ordered curtly, again, glancing at the clock.

After a brief trip to the bathroom, which had allowed Elphaba to tie her boots up in the usual manner, Glinda returned with a medium sized bag.

"We'll go light on this, don't worry." She said ,rummaging through her inventory.

Glinda had spent more hours wondering about which make up would work for her friend's unusual skin color, than she was willing to admit.

This really was a tough case.

The toughest one she ever had.

But very worthwhile.

She took off Elphie's glasses in one swift move, remembering to shut them before they got lost in the tangle of her sheets

"Hold still." She said superfluously, as she applied the eyeliner to a very terrified Munchkin.

Glinda couldn't help but smile to herself, as she felt Elphaba stiffen under her hands.

"_It's as though she's afraid, that I'm going to take her eye out."_ She mused to herself.

"Look up." She said commanding, and Elphaba,obediently rolled her eyeballs upward.

With the other girl unable to see her, the blonde grinned full force.

Elphaba breathed a little fast and heavily, and she smelled quite nicely.

Glinda hardly knew anyone, her parents included, who smelled just like themselves.

Everyone in her presence was always perfumed in one way or another.

Shower gels, bath salts, shampoos ,lotions and with the men in her life, like Fieryo, after shaves…people just came in so many layers of expensive smells these days, it was hard to make them out underneath it all.

But not Elphaba..even her deodorant, one of the very few items taking up any space in the bathroom, that was mostly her terrain, was without any extra perfuming.

"Extra Sensitive." Glinda remembered, and had to keep from shaking with inward laughter.

Her hand had to stay steady, or Elphaba might accuse her of evil intentions.

Wordlessly she switched over to the other eye.

How very far Glinda had come from any evil intentions..she thought to herself.

Because that's what she was,Elphaba..smelling just like herself and extra sensitive.

She put the eyeliner away and reached for the mascara.

"Try not to blink." She said softly, before she began brushing out the dark lashes.

"_These should be illegal."_Glinda thought to herself.

She would have to change to another brand, not something that embellished the length of the green girl's ideal lashes even further.

People might begin to think she was a green Doe or something. The blonde shook her head to herself.

She reached for the eyeshade, looking down at Elphaba with a calculating look.

"Just a little dab."she said almost to herself. Before reaching for the small brush.

Elphaba kept her fixed with an even stare.

Glinda leaned back over to her.

"Close your eyes." She whispered, without knowing why.

She felt Elphaba's breath against her throat, even, calm and warm now.

"_She trusts me."_the thought floated into her head out of nowhere.

Involuntarily, she thought of the picture of the green Doe no one would ever mistake her roommate for but her.

With another glance at the clock she switched over to the other eye.

The sensation Elphaba's breath left on her exposed throat began to unnerve her a little, and Glinda noticed, that she had moved a little closer without thinking about it.

The blonde swallowed against the lump, that had formed at the height of the area where the warm, humid air had made contact with her pale skin.

Goosebumps erupted at the spot, as though Elphaba had touched her there.

Glinda quickly shook her head at the thought.

_What nonsense._

She leaned back to survey her handiwork.

Perfect.

Unexpectedly, Elphaba had sensed her drawing away, and opened her eyes, looking straight into hers.

It was so unusual to see the girl up close and without glasses at that.

Her eyes were so very green.

And they were looking directly at her.

Of course, where else would they be looking?

But Glinda felt almost.._touched._

Touched as though Elphaba was touching her with her eyes, but not her skin..no it was as though she reached deepily inside of her with that look and touched her..soul.

She was so beautiful, really.

The Unnamed God had probably made her green so people would not flock to her in masses and fall all over themselves.

Glinda smiled weakly at the girl in front of her.

But it was her soul, her heart really, that was so beautiful, and maybe she was green, so her looks wouldn't distract from that.

If there was a God, and if he was prone to making mistakes, he had made a big one, or maybe he hadn't trusted enough in people, for them to see beyond green.

Or maybe it was a gift…

Glinda honestly didn't know, but she was genuinely awed.

Elphaba returned her smile and for the second time that day, but certainly not the last time in her life, it seemed to the blonde, that the sun had risen.

It illuminated everything in the room.

But more over..it made everything inside her feel sparkly and new.

"All done." Glinda said softly.

Elphaba groped for the metal of her glasses next to her.

Then she got up wordlessly and went over to the mirror.

After a few moments she had spent in front of it, stunned, Glinda appeared before her.

The blonde reached up, took glasses off of a green nose and placed them in a sleek leather pouch.

"Better." She said matter of factly.

Then she pushed Elphaba's book bag into her arms and dragged her to the door.

"You have to get to class or you'll be more than fashionably late." Glinda stated merrily.

Elphaba only looked at her aghast.

She had looked so soft and so feminine in the mirror.

And the blouse left hardly anything to be imagined. It was slightly embarrassing.

The lack of her glasses and the blurry vision made her feel even more vulnerable.

They..they ..the pack, they noticed even the smallest change..the smallest hope..and they attacked mercilessly.

Vulnerability was not an option.

Elphaba needed some time to quell the hope in her heart.

To vanquish the softness in her features, before she stepped out into the hall and into class.

Different.

She would be hunted-

Easy quarry.

And she needed Glinda to protect her from the evil words.

The illintentioned gazes..the whisperings behind her back.

And Glinda had the same class as she did, why wasn't she coming?

"Glinda..I think this is a very nice idea..but.." she simply needed some time to harden herself.

Calculate all possible reactions and brace herself for the worst.

But suddenly a hand found itself in hers.

"Elphaba," Glinda had dropped the honorific as she had the nickname.

"It's going to be ok."

She squeezed the green hand gently and gave the smallest of reassuring smiles.

"I have to get ready for class and will see you in second period, alright?"

"But.." Elphaba bit her lip unconsciously.

A gesture that she had picked up from her blonde roommate.

"It is paramount that you walk into class by yourself." Glinda shrugged her shoulders and tightened her hold on Elphaba's hand.

It was then, that very moment, that Elphaba noticed that they had never held hands before.

Glinda's hand was soft, a lot softer than Nessa's whose had become rugged with the years of moving her wheelchair about.

And it was unexpectedly strong, this grip of hers.

It had the strength to pull her out of her own mind..and trust..well, not quite trust, but believe in the world for just the blink of an eye.

She of no Faith.

Elphaba smiled back at the shorter woman.

There definitely was some magic Glinda had power of.

Even if Morrible could not appreciate it, she certainly did.

She squeezed the smaller hand in hers back before withdrawing her own and placing it on the handle of their door.

"If all of this goes horribly wrong, be assured that I shall blame it solely on the youngest of the Upland clan and that she'll owe me the biggest chocolatey ice cream specialty that the Cafeteria has to offer.." Elphaba felt nervousness creep back into her at the loss of touch, and it kept mounting as she slipped through the door.

"Well,I don't know what my cousin Margie has to do with it, "Glinda spoke, peeking her head out of the door,"But I shall gladly step in for her." She waved after a chuckling green girl, that quickly disappeared down the hallway to Doctor Dillamond's class.

Or what had been Doctor Dillamond' s class, as it was taught by someone new , just today.

.


	61. Chapter 61

**A/N:Uhm,guys, I have vowed to myself not to beg for reviews..but I have been throwing I don't know how many styles at you these past chapters..and don't really know if I'm making sense anymore. So,please be critical in a kind way. Feedback would be truly appreciated. *throws dishtowel at the document uploader" the thing stole words from the last chapter...before Glinda throws the towel, Elphaba says to Nessa "We must never let her know" by the way...I'll fix that when I've figured out the how and the why..there is a flashback with a chapter break in this as well..hope it works..or I am going to kick this thing..en serio. Oh, and enjoy;-) Happy New Year everyone. May it give you your heart's desire.**

Glinda,too, was inexplicably drawn to the past this morning.

Something was clearly troubling Elphaba.

She briefly wondered if her own anxiety about the day's upcoming events had rubbed off on the green woman next to her.

With the thought, the nervousness made its presence known anew in her already knotted stomach.

Glinda wished her overly self assured old self back.

But there was no denying it.

If her plan failed..

The time for parting might be near.

Again.

And for final this time.

And Elphaba, against her best intentions, would not be able to give her due warning..nor a proper goodbye.

The blonde swallowed,quickly drawing her eyes away,so her old friend would not be able to see the shadows passing through them.

Her mind wandered to the first time they had parted.

Such a small moment it had been, such a small decision,and yet so weighty.

She had not foreseen the wide passage of time and the heaviness the following years would bring.

And all of them had lain in this one, small, moment.

It seemed so silly now.

Not to have known.

But now she did..and there was nothing she could do about it either.

Fate wasn't her friend.

Wasn't her friend at all..

Glinda remembered their sweet,short day in the emerald city.

"_Two good friends..two beeest friends.."_

She had been struggling then, to tell Elphaba how much she meant to her, how proud she was of her,how..

If she would have gotten on that broom, that would have been more than..what two friends did for each other, even the bestest..wouldn't it?

Wouldn't it have been?

Maybe Glinda had been aware of the consequences and the decisions in that moment, after all.

Not the full width of it..but still.

Ah, the old matter of fear.

The Ruler of all of Oz looked out of the window of the kitchen where the sun was rising,brightly as ever, bringing yet another,rainless day.

Bitterness rose in her throat.

She didn't know, hadn't known then,hadn't realized, that..that there would be an empty room in Shiz.

That all the light would leave her life like this and be substituted by a glare..an unceasing emerald glare.

The very emptiness of the endless years before her..surrounded,as if in mockery..by green...

No,she couldn't have known that.

Glinda wasn't quite sure when she had started considering and weighing options..doubting herself..and allowing the luxury of the "could have beens".

It might have been on a day like this..in this palace..when she had tried to convince herself of how happy she was..but happiness only tasted of bittersweet,dried almonds.

She shook her head..something was holding,her not letting her quite go.

Her mind, unasked, skipped back to the almost kiss the night before.

She was glad, that Elphaba hadn't mentioned it at all.

That she must have forgotten.

Glad, that Nessa had chosen to arrive that very moment.

Glad.

The Lady of Oz sighed.

Her mind, hopscotching, suddenly flashed her an image.

Of two hands clasping a broomstick.

"_Just you and I Defying Gravity.."_

Even after all these years…

The memory still made her head swim and her knees weak.

"_Kiss me Goodbye.."_

Things,that she..simply couldn't have wrapped her head around.

She could have just gotten on that broom as well..if she had..if she had..if only...if she had.

Glinda shook her head at herself.

There was no way of knowing back then, what it would mean..what it would mean...

A great,familiar hollowness spread within her heart.

She closed her eyes to gather herself, swallow down the pain and the bitterness of the ensuing years.

This business of the great outing before the mob of Oz later that day and the lack of sleep last night, had her clearly on edge.

She needed to go and freshen up some..get herself back in order..get herself back _in line_.

It was daylight after all.

_But..but.._

She was glad, really glad, that the little Rose had arrived when she did.

Glinda opened her eyes again.

Her unseeing gaze found the sky.

She was unable to resist the memory.

Not today.

They..they had kissed, too, the night before, before they had seen the Wizard.

Parted.

In a room so emerald.

Tears stole in under her lids, as her mind skipped back to that evening, which she tried to remember as little as possible.

No, she hadn't been surprised, when Elphaba had asked her to Kiss her Goodbye..not surprised at all.

...

-The Emerald City a few years prior-

...

"Glinda?"

The blonde bubbled around the fancy hotel room like a shook up bottle of champagne on the loose.

"Miss Upland?"

Elphaba had been beyond nervous, but with the last of her thoughts committed to paper, an argument outline and her wand polished to a high shine, there was nothing left for her to do anymore.

The bees in her stomach had, gratefully, exhausted themselves.

"_Maybe,"_she thought to herself,_" they had also just simply flitted over to the blonde bouncing ball across the room."_

"Miss UPLAND!" Elphaba said in a stern voice, imitating Morrible's in pitch and intention.

That, finally, got the addressed's attention.

"Oh, Elphaba, I,I forgot to pack my pink butterfly hairclip!"

Glinda rummaged around in one of the many pockets of her bountiful luggage.

"It perfectly contrasts the pale yellow..and it is my..my.." the blonde broke off, almost sobbing by now.

"Finishing touch?" Elphaba completed the sentence for her from the side of the bed.

The petite witch wiped at a tear in her eyes with a silent nod.

Elphaba smiled at her and patted a spot to her left..

Obediently, Glinda moved over, and settled next to her.

"You are going to be just fine and gorgeous, to boot." Elphaba winked at her friend, who didn't blush as expected at the compliment, but instead turned to her, and asked feebly.

"You think so? It's the Wizard, you know, and he is probably used to the highest of fashions..and." Glinda spoke at the speed of lightning.

With a sigh, the green witch only glanced meaningfully at her own, dark dress, that the both of them had argued about for three solid days.

Glinda snorted in derision.

"Well.." her eyebrow shot up, she left the rest of the sentence and the whole argument linger in the air.

"I guess I really am going to be fine.." she mumbled finally.

But her back straightened again, and Elphaba could almost hear the bees resume their humming inside the small girl next to her.

Distraction, was the key.

The green girl fumbled in her mind for topics, that might distract her roommate enough to forget how nervous she really was.

Otherwise, she might just find herself being dragged along the streets of the emerald city at five the next morning,looking for a butterfly hairpin,just like the one she forgot at home.

"Uhm.." Fashion was definitely out of the question, Elphaba realized just in time.

Boys!

Bad idea…especially Fiyero.

Let's, actually, not bring up the topic of Fiyero at all.

Her eyes still hurt with the picture of the two of them kissing goodbye at the train station.

Well, to be honest, it wasn't her eyes that hurt. It was her heart.

Inexplicably.

For the heart, as she knew, had no sensitive innervation.

This whole matter was beyond confusifying, and the more so, since she couldn't discuss it with the one person she could really talk to.

It made her head reel, and Elphaba knew that she was way out of her water.

Waay way out of her water.

And she wasn't the best of swimmers to begin with.

She had simply no experience whatsoever in that regard.

None.

…

Perfect.

"Glinda?"

The blonde was already drumming a quick rhythm onto the bedsheets and about to bounce off around the room again.

"Hm?" The young Lady Upland distractedly turned to face Elphaba, her mind, as assumed by the girl next to her, already wondering where she might find a store to replace her butterfly pin the next morning.

"I was uhm..wondering..?" Elphaba fidgeted with her hands in her lap.

This got her roommate's attention.

Elphaba only ever did that when she was uncomfortable..and whatever made her perennially stern and controlled green friend uncomfortable and shy usually turned out to be rather interesting.

"How..does.. does one…_kiss_?" she mumbled the last word facing towards the sheets.

It wasn't out of embarrassment, though, but to hide the grin underneath her falling hair.

This worked, as she had thought it would.

"Well, silly," Glinda, now blushing slapped her playfully on the arm.

"Two people put their lips together..it's as easy as that!"

"Well," Elphaba now looked back up at her, her brow furrowed again in thought.

"I don't see what's so grand about that..and what about the noses anyways?" the twinkle in her eyes gave her away, but Glinda decided to play along for the fun of the game.

"Well..there isn't anything _grand _about it.." Glinda grinned back at her.

"Unless you harbor a deep affection for the person, of course." She added on an afterthought, blushing deeply.

Elphaba quirked an eyebrow, a gesture, that Glinda had, by now, learned to dread in situations such as these.

No mistaking it, she positively liked kissing Fiyero, he was a great kisser, in fact, one of the best she ever had, but there was certainly nothing that would term the whole act as particularly _grand_.

Time to refocus the conversation away from her, she decided, before Elphaba could ask, what she was obviously thinking.

"So, you have never kissed anybody?" the blonde asked as casually as possible.

Perfect diversion tactic.

Score Blondie 1,Smarty pants 0.

"Uhm, no. I haven't. Obviously." Now it was Elphaba's turn to blush. She had in fact almost kissed Fiyero the other day..or he her, or she might have thought about it.

A little.

Occasionally.

Fiyero, of course.

Him.

Only him.

No, she hadn't.

Of course not!

Not him..nor..

And there, especially, had been no dreams of anybody.

At all.

Her head hurt.

Again.

It didn't even matter anyhow.

"So, what's with the noses?" time to lighten this up.

"Well," Glinda was somewhat glad to be getting out of the murky waters,"you tilt your head." And with that she tilted her head to the side.

Elphaba laughed, her friend looked like a puppy begging for a snack.

"Like that?" Elphaba tilted her head to the side, too, in a mirror movement.

"Still a nose problem."

Glinda chuckled.

This was getting quite silly, but it was fun.

"No, the other side of course!"she leaned her head to the other side.

"Ah, I see." Elphaba remained with her head tilted to the far left.

She turned her whole upper body around to face the blonde.

"It is rather awkward, isn't it?" she asked nonchalantly.

Glinda, with her head still tilted to the far left as well, found she couldn't quite nod.

"Yeah.." she agreed evenly.."It really is, at first, at least."

Both of them chuckled at their funny positions.

"So then they move in, and magically "glue their lips together"?" Elphaba's tone was mocking and slightly disbelieving."And fireworks erupt and the skies start falling apart?"

Glinda sighed.

"You read too many books, Miss Elphaba."

And in a move that surprised them both, Glinda leaned forward, covering the small distance between them, and kissed Elphaba softly on the lips.

It was nothing but a soft brush of the lips against each other, and had been intended for merely demonstrational purposes.

And it was as quickly over as it had started.

There were no fireworks.

And the skies didn't fall apart.

They rent right in two.

Glinda drew back, startled.

There was the same moment of surprise in Elphaba's eyes.

"Uhm.."she stammered.

"Thanks..thanks for the demonstration.." and green fingers flew to dark lips in puzzlement.

Before Elphaba had a chance to get off the bed and escape down the corridors of the hotel, however, a terrible realization hit Glinda.

"Oh, Elphie!" the blonde said desolately, putting her hand onto a green forearm.

" I..I am so sorry." she said quietly, tears springing to her eyes.

"I..I stole your first kiss."

Suddenly all desire to flee from the room left Elphaba and she smiled bravely back at the blonde.

"It's ok, Glinda. It..It really is...Quite ok. That is."

It were her eyes as they were then, that would haunt her in her sleep for the years to come, the Ruler of Oz remembered.

So dark and green and swirling..

Glinda lost her heart and soul in them that moment, and she didn't realize it, until Elphaba had flown away and taken them with her.


	62. Chapter 62

„Glinda?"

The blonde snapped out of her reverie and looked at the woman she had just thought about.

"_How much she has changed.." _she thought to herself.

"_How much we have changed.." _

"Glin..we need to talk.." Elphaba noticed the distraction of her old and new roommate, but they really needed to discuss her research.

She had,regrettably, fallen asleep last night, and her dream,which was having just a little too much of an effect on her to just have been a simple dream, only highlighted the urgency in her heart.

She needed a few answers to her questions..and she desperately needed to sound out her ideas with the only other person who had been able to read the Grimmerie beside herself.

A pair of blue eyes looked at her, alarmed.

Elphaba was wondering what Glinda could possibly assume she meant to talk to her about, but she was quickly torn out of her surprise at the other woman's reaction, as a plate with steaming,scrambled eggs was settled before her.

Mem looked at her with a dark look in her eyes, and the green girl decided on the spot, that now would be a very sensible moment to give up her strict Vegan diet.

She uttered a low "Thank you." And watched as another plate was set before a very nervous looking Ruler of Oz.

Mem refilled both of their tea cups, before offering to take Nessa to the Monkeys' store room, to check if she wouldn't be able to find some clothes for the little girl.

Knowing that her daughter would be safer with Mem, especially if she went to see Chistery, than anywhere else in the world, Elphaba quickly swallowed down the protest that had flown onto her tongue immediately.

She guessed, that the old woman had picked up on the gist of their conversation and was giving them the space to talk in peace.

When the door shut behind the her, Elphaba watched Glinda pick uselessly at her food.

Something was eating at her friend, but as much as it was itching her to inquire, they had business to attend to.

"We need to discuss this theory I have.." Elphaba began.

A blonde head shot up and gave her a relieved smile.

"Yes!" Glinda answered a little too enthusiastically.

Elphaba's eyebrow shot up, a gesture which made the other woman nervous and added to the green woman's puzzlement.

"Well, I apologize for falling asleep.."inexplicably, Glinda reddened at this,"but I have researched this theory of mine yesterday, and we really need to talk about it."

"Which theory?" Glinda now was back in the here and now completely.

"I think I met one of the main perpetrators of the antagonistm that worries us at the ball, when I arrived." Elphaba began.

"The guy you relieved of the burden of some of his teeth?" Glinda was joking, but her eyes were serious.

"No..there was someone else." Elphaba hated to worry the blonde with the details..but she needed to know.

"Someone approached me after our ..uhm, first dance."

Now she had Glinda's full attention.

Oz!How she hated having to tell her about this.

"What do you mean?" Glinda noticed the worry on the green face.

"Someone came up to me and made me an offer..several,in fact." Elphaba swallowed.

Maybe she could keep some of the information from her petite friend..no need to worry her more than necessary.

"He was a strange sort of man..I mean, of course he was strange..but there was something..different about him..he didn't look quite right." She was beginning to get nervous just at the memory.

The blonde drew her eyes together in concentration.

Her hand flew to her stomach, where she could remember vividly, a magical steel pin striking her through the midst.

"What kind of offer?" she asked, dreading the answer already.

"He meant to put me in his service, taking control of Oz through me." the green witch answered unevenly.

"What did he offer you?" Glinda was trying to focus on the lead Elphaba had,ignoring the silver fear in the pit of her stomach. Something told her she didn't really want to know the answers to this line of questioning.

"Money..power.."the former Wicked Witch paused, her mind weighing the next word,while her eyes did not leave the good Lady of Oz' face.

"Revenge."

Glinda was uncertain.

"Revenge for what?"

"He thought I was a princess of the Vinkus, remember?" the green woman's voice was hesitant.

"But the Vinkus think we killed Fi..oh!" a pale hand flew to a face that had been drained of all color.

Glinda swallowed heavily.

"I see." She said quietly, quickly turning away.

She knew that they had been after her life, if she wouldn't give Oz up to them willingly.

She knew..had known..she had felt it!

But it was admittedly an altogether different matter, this knowledge, being told in the bright peaceful kitchen of her home, instead of sensing something in the dark.

Elphaba squeezed her hand reassuringly.

"I wouldn't let them harm you." She said so softly, that Glinda wasn't sure she had heard correctly.

But the sincerity and determination in the green pair of eyes didn't allow her to question that statement.

She quickly swallowed down the ball of emotion that filled her throat.

"So..so what about your theory and research?" Glinda asked feebly, squeezing the hand that held hers back.

"He was off..and strange..and I think it was the same one I felt bef..I mean we met in the shadows on the Northern border of the castle."

Elphaba willed the Gilikin to remember the encounter from the other night past.

"Oh." Glinda felt her skin break out in goosebumps.

Just to think that this..this thing, whatever it was, had been actually here, so close..

It made her skin crawl…literally.

He had not been well intentioned towards her..not well intentioned at all.

Suddenly a light dawned on the blonde.

"You spoke that spell to keep him away." It was a statement,not a question.

"Yes. And it worked quite nicely,too." Elphaba winked at her.

"But I don't know for how long." Glinda allowed hopelessness to permeate her voice,her eyes,unbidden, strayed,again to the window, past the infamous yellow brick road.

"What do you mean?" the green witch was giving her her undivided attention.

The blonde looked up at her desolately.

"These..these ..people..I don't know who or what they are..or even how many..but they..they just keep gaining ground..they are one step behind, but they keep catching up,relentlessly."

Relentlessly.

A pair of blue eyes met the sky of the same color,just outside the window.

The blonde felt herself grow exhausted at the mere prospect.

She had been fighting this for too many months, and she was simply tired.

"Even with the Grimmerie..I've had an edge on them..but they are..they simply get too close.." the Lady of Oz felt tears start to well up in her eyes.

She was so very tired.

A hand made its way to her shoulder, which had hurt so badly that night before the ball.

"_They are just so powerful." _the small witch's voice broke pitifully.

Elphaba grimaced at the pain she had only second hand felt. But she knew what her friend was talking about,even if she'd have quite the time explaining to her exactly how she knew.

"_Sush.."_ she reached out and drew Glinda close to herself.

Unexpectedly, the blonde started crying silently in her arms.

It had simply been too much these last few weeks.

"_I'm here now, don't worry..I almost took a little too long, but I'm here now.."_

Elphaba rocked the woman in her arms back and forth. She slapped herself mentally for having abandoned her in the first place. And not for the first time either.

"But..that's just it..they are..they are there..and I can feel them..on the periphery... and they are not supposed to be there..and..and Chistery.." Glinda sobbed.

Elphaba suddenly snapped to attention.

"What did you just say?" she asked hurriedly.

"Chistery.."

"No, Glinda, the beginning of the sentence!"

"That..that I can feel them..they are..out there..and they are just biding their time, waiting to get in.."

The small Ruler of Oz wiped at her eyes, withdrawing from the green witch's embrace.

Even if all would fail today, she could not run away with Elphaba for they were after _her _and they would come after _her_, wherever she would be, find her and finish what they started.

The only thing that kept her safe was the castle itself and the goodwill of the people in it..and a spell.

And,not to forget,a misconception.

They wanted power.

They wanted the power of Oz..and that of its Ruler.

They wanted Glinda the Good.

But what they didn't know, was that there was one who Oz belonged more to than her.

She held the position of Ruler now.

But the Wonderful Wizard had had a daughter, and Oz was hers by birthright.

If the Wicked Witch would be claimed by the throne then..

There would not be a moment of peace left in her life by those who meant to end it.

Who would mean to end the whole line of direct descendants.

Glinda swallowed at the thought.

Only she knew..she and Morrible.

And the Wizard.

And only she held the key, to both knowledges, that Elphaba was alive,and that the throne was rightfully hers.

Until today at sixteen hundred hours at least.

No one would believe Morrible.

Would even hear her.

She had made sure of that.

And if all failed...she would keep Elphaba away from the throne and spirit her away.

Before anyone could know.

And if things went according to plan?

No one would guess, that the true Ruler would reside in the castle and not claim the title and choose, instead to rule by her side.

No one.

And when they would take her life, the power of Oz would be theirs, as Elphaba's power of blood still reigned in the shadows.

This is how it would have to remain.

For Elphaba to know peace.

Finally.

Glinda shuddered.

The darkness was circling them..tighter and tighter, closing in, great and threatening, like a wave about to crash.

"Glin..you can feel them?"Elphaba's voice was laced with worry.

"'t you?" there was at all times, the malintent flowing at her from the distance.

"No..no I can't.." Elphaba studied her hands that were resting on the table, her food had remained untouched.

The blonde witch looked up at her in surprise.

"But…but you are supposed to!" she exclaimed suddenly.

"You..'re..you're the Wicked Witch!" Glinda shook her head in disbelief.

"You are the one..the powerful one!" there was anger in her voice now.

This was unfair.

"You, not me!" she leaned back into her seat, crossing her arms before her, and leaning her head back on the back of her chair,the anger seeped out of her as quickly as it had come.

"Child of both worlds." She said softly, remembering Morrible's words.

"What did you just say?" Elphaba had grown pale in all of her greenness.

Glinda was wondering if she had woken up with an ear problem this morning, because she obviously had trouble understanding her roommate today.

"I thought that was the reason you were checking out all of these pedigrees?" the Gilikin looked at the green witch, raising a blonde eyebrow.

"The Wizard isn't from Oz. He isn't a real Wizard even, as we both have noticed. Seems the case, that he's from that same place as that D…as that girl with the uhm..house."

Glinda felt a little awkward around the topic.

She had, even if indirectly, played a part in the demise of Elphaba's sister.

And they had had quite a fight over that Dorothy girl,shoes and all.

But her friend only credited her with a blank stare.

"Child of both worlds?" she repeated tonelessly.

"Well, yes, therefore the off the charts magical ability." Glinda shrugged.

She had read up on the topic, of course, but if she was going to explain to Elphaba about her theory on the lack of magic inhibition genes that a mixed parentage seemed to present its children with, the girl might topple over from the shock of hearing her explain genetics of all things.

Life sciences had really never been Glinda's forte,to be honest. But genetics were something she and her peers had been into at school. They had wanted beautiful children after all. So what if she had gone a little elphaba on the subject with her notes and all?

"I..have..I have this ..this theory.." the Munchkin collected herself.

Glinda tore herself back to the here and now.

"Actually,it makes more sense now..I just can't figure out why I can't feel them then..but still..I remember a nursery rhyme from way back..and.."she paused to see if she had Glinda's undivided attention.

She did.

"I think that our foes are "children of both worlds",as you put it,too".

The blonde took a moment to let the words sink in.

"But..but..your fa..I mean,the Wizard was the only one besides that Dorothy girl to be from that world..or do you think there have been others?" she pondered this for a few clock ticks..

"Do you think you have siblings?" she was a little confused, for Elphaba blanched again at the prospect.

"No..the Wizard was surprised enough to have had one daughter..and we would have noticed the presence of more green people, don't you think?" she tried to smile, but the thought had unnerved her somewhat.

"No..by both worlds I mean ours and..the Animals'."

Glinda gasped audibly.

"The Animals? Why..that would be.." she couldn't wrap her head around it, it was against the very law of their society to breed like that.

"I studied the pedigrees of some of the great wizarding families..and there are some..broken links." Elphaba didn't know how to break this gently.

Glinda loved the nobles.

They were impeccable in her eyes.

The blonde as suspected only shook her head.

"No way! That is..despicabe! And anyways..did you find any corresponding links in the Animal family trees?" she was outraged a little.

"No..there were none..probably glossed over to avoid suspicion or.." Elphaba bit her lips.

"They were the children of "The Free".

Glinda harrumphed.

"The Free" are nothing but a legend to keep little children out of the woods. They are simply some Animals who went to seek solitude and went on some sort of naturalistic retreat." The blonde shook her head defiantly.

"It's all just some sort of myth."

Elphaba looked directly at her friend..

Her eyes did not leave the blonde's.

"Pegs is one of "The Free".

"If I remember the discussion correctly, you rode on him, and he was obviously saddled and bridled." Glinda felt her heartbeat quicken.

"The bridle had no bit." the former Wicked Witch did not break her gaze.

"I lived in the forbidden forest all of the years you spent in this castle, Glinda.." Elphaba leaned back and rested her hands in her lap.

"Pegs isn't the only one."

Tha Gilikin looked at her aghast.

"You really think that.."

Her voice was feeble now.

"But Elphaba..that would have been blasphemous.." Glinda studied her cooled food intently.

"Not if you didn't believe in the same Unnamed God." She smirked.

"Or rather in one with better intentions."

The blonde still shook her head.

It did make sense though, she had to admit.

Their adversaries were uncannily powerful.

And now, that she thought about it, the vibes she had gotten from them had been a little unlike any others that she had felt before.

And there was a green woman sitting right here in her kitchen.

Living proof that the impossible was, sometimes, possible.

Who was to say, that in times past, a witch had not secretly fallen in love with one of the wild and beautiful, independent inhabitants of the woods she lived by.

That they had had beautiful and terrible children together?

"The heart wants what it wants sometimes." Elphaba mirrored her thoughts aloud.

She picked up her fork to taste the egg, that Mem had fried with mushrooms instead of bacon like the Ruler's.

Glinda looked at her, for a few, long moments, sighing,finally.

"You can't feel them, because I am closer to them in blood, than you are." she said quietly into the stillness.

She also reached for her fork.

"It isn't as easy for them to shut me out." She noticed Elphaba still in her actions in the periphery of her vision as she concentrated on the plate before her.

"I am a full blooded Ozian witch after all," she eased some of the egg onto her fork.

"And not only am I of the Upper Uplands" she chewed around a mouthful.

"But I am also of the Arduennas" she took a sip of tea.

"And as you might have probably noticed." Glinda buttered her toast.

"We have aplenty of your so-called "broken links"."

She bit heartily into it.

What a shame..she had always loved the countryside and the forests around her Grandmother's home so much.

And the beautiful big lake they had spent their summers by.

Before drinking from her tea again, Glinda sighed.

She didn't even want to know what kind of Animal she was related to.

Even the swans her Grandmother Leda had fed religiously seemed kind of suspicious now.

Maybe they had been Swans, who had been Free and chosen not to speak?

She shuddered at the thought.

Elphaba had silently studied her, while she ate.

She looked up to meet her calculating gaze.

"Does that mean I have to be actually nice to Pegs now?"

The Munchkin smiled back at her.

"Don't try to tell me you were ever nice to your cousins."

The blonde winked back at her.

"True enough, but I at least tried..Well, sometimes."

Elphaba laughed.

Glinda had a multitude of stories from her annoying cousins.

"We do have to talk to Pegs about this today however."the green witch stated.

The Ruler of Oz groaned around her mouthful of food.

She had almost forgotten about that matter.

That matter of timing.

What a luxury.

A part of her wondered what her horoscope said about revelations for today.

"Does Seventeenhundred hours sound ok for you?" she asked simply.

"Uhm,sure..why?" Elphaba was a little nonplussed.

And Glinda wondered if she could keep her that way for the rest of the morning.


	63. Chapter 63

**A/N: The next chapters are written and will be posted throughout this week, unless pneumonia strikes and takes me away from all things internet. Thank you for your kind reviews! I shall strive for more clarity..soon. ;-)  
**

Glinda was only dimly aware of the sound the quilll made as it scratched over the parchment.

If one would have asked her, what her last deeds and desires would be, were she given the choice and knowledge of her final hour drawing near, she certainly wouldn't have answered that her sentiments and thoughts would go towards the Quadlings.

Of all the people residing in Oz..they were probably the worst dressed, dullest and most unentertaining.

But also the most miserable.

Glinda the Good wrote a degree for her Grand Vezier.

It was supposed to free the Quadling counties from the duty of the mines, and more specifically, returned the power of produce of the several states of Oz to the lands it stemmed from, draining power from the central government and the Emerald city.

Hopefully granting prosperity to the rural areas, and keeping them if not safe, safer from whatever evil chose to install itself onto the throne of Oz.

Glinda chewed on the tip of her quill in thought, dying her lips blue in the process.

Miners..Quadlings..

As though those farmers hadn't given her enough of a headache..

But they were her people..

And if she needed to go ahead and get herself dethroned, killed,quite possibly, then..at least her _people_ should be taken care of.

As well as she could anyways.

The Ruler of Oz had made sure to keep her Grand Vezier as innocent from her plans as possible, so he could take over the country in the interim of Rule, before anyone else would seize power.

Quickly, Glinda signed her name and title, and put the quill to the side.

The official parchment was made of heavy paper and difficult to fold.

But she managed,finally.

The candle next to her burned brightly in the daylight.

She had not bothered to extinguish or relight it.

This was the fifth roll she needed to officiate in the short time span left to her.

She grabbed the golden candle holder, and allowed the red wax to drip onto the corner of the pages.

Then she took the seal, heavy and silver.

She used the crest Madam Morrible and the Wizard had given her at a celebration years ago.

Glinda loathed the thing.

It bore her family seal inside a great O that stood for Oz.

Her Initials,all of them, twisted around a Z that dominated the elliptical sphere.

Fiyero had tried to calm her quiet outrage at its ugliness.

He guessed at the reason why she didn't like it.

It marked her an official member of the household..a slave of Oz,such as he was.

„Look," he had said gently, kissing her softly on the top of her head.

„It's a bubble..and your letters are on a slide, having fun in the sunlight."

She missed him now.

Fiyero!

Of all people to be missed...

The seal spread the drop of wax evenly along its perimeter, and Glinda quickly set it aside, as though it had acquired the temperature from the bubbling liquid.

She blew out the candle.

There would be no further need of any more official decrees she figured.

The next few pages would just be handwriting, instructions, notes on things.

She wanted the place neat, when she left.

A bird sang outside, and Glinda grimaced.

It was still so hot..the heat and the drought were unrelenting.

And she wished for a moment, to be out by the lake again.

Careless.

And young.

Her parents would be singing.

And they would be laughing, playing in the water.

Her grandmother would have them called in for dinner eventually.

And she would bathe,rinse off the sand and the lake water, dress up for the occasion, and sit down with her family..

And her friends.

Maybe..if she was at it..and really..if she could wish for anything,why not?

Maybe Elphaba would be there, engaging her grandfather in scientific talk, with him only grunting occasionally.

And her eyes would be blazing and she would cackle at a joke or two,that wasn't even really funny.

If she were young, then of course, Fiyero would also be there.

Chatting amiably with her father, while her grandmother and mother, would gossip about her aunt who had married beneath her.

And then Glinda would watch Elphaba..as she had always watched her during the times she had spoken.

Though she would not have a clue what the other girl was talking about.

But Elphaba was cacapble to make people forget how she looked..by the way of her words..the very power of her mind.,her passion on a subject.

The green girl managed to silence whole classrooms, battling in duels of wit with teachers and professors.

It was something she wielded as others would a weapon.

Her mind.

Glinda's eyes, torn from the reverie, traveled to the gleaming silver seal on the desk.

But she wasn't young anymore.

And her parents had distanced themselves from her,after she had taken over the position as Ruler.

For Good.

They had had a suitable suitor for her.

A man of great estate and standing.

Chusley..Chiffrey or something..

But he had been _old_..and Glinda couldn't quite tell, what she had been more offended about: his age or his _mustache._

The trouble was,that her parents had meant her to settle down, and become the quiet and lovely wife they had raised her to be.

They hadn't cared an ounce for her happiness.

She had not been sorry when they had distanced themselves officially from her after her denial of the proposition.

Glinda was an only child.. They could not disown her.

The realization, that her darlingest momsie and popsicle only cared for her as far as their reputation went had been...harsh...to put it mildly.

But Mem had come.

The old woman had sided with her parents in her opinion in the matter of Rulerism.

But she hadn't let it keep her from coming and caring for her little girl.

Glinda closed her eyes, and rubbed her forehead.

No..among the many letters littering her desk by now...there was none for her parents.

There was only a will, concerning Frottica.

Her estate, it would pass to her,even posthumously from her parents, would then move on to anyone she chose, being without direct heir herself.

She bequeathed her part of Gilikin to two sisters..to be divided amongst themselves, when they would be of age.

Which would be a while yet.

Glinda covered her face with the palms of her hands.

Her forehead was covered in slick sweat.

It was so hot outside today..and she was so tired.

If only..if only she could be at her grandmother's lakeside home right now.

And it would be nightfall..

And they would all have eaten..

She would ask Fiyero to step outside a minute, accompany her on a post dinner stroll through the cricket strewn foliage.

To tear Elphaba out of a discussion would be futile, anyways.

But she would want to take Fiyero outside for a quiet word..

To ask him.

To ask him..how one..how one does this.

How one jumps into the middle of a bunch of armed soldiers with only a musket.

How one...

A thick drop of sweat rolled down Glinda's face.

She cheirshed the sensation.

Life..

She might not be as young as she had been then, but she was still young enough, that her body craved it.

She wanted to live..she ached to live..and if it meant a hundred drops of sweat rolling down her face, gliding down the side of her neck...she gladly accepted them...cherished them,even.

No, Glinda wanted to ask Fiyero how he jumped into the midst of a throng of soldiers with only a musket and willingly chose death.

She grew very quiet and felt for the beating of her heart in the stillness of the room.

There it was..steady.

And her breath..

She held it,wondering how it felt, to breathe no more.

But her lungs quickly protested against the strain, her heartrate picked up, and she felt the panic of minutes spent too long underwater creep up on her.

Still Glinda did not breathe..

But finally..finally, she had to give in, to the overwhelming need for air, and sucked it in..as much as she could..as if she could never get enough of it.

Her heart hammered against her chest..blood rushed through her ears,and she felt alive, for a fleeting moment..felt the very energy and vibrancy of life push through her.

Glinda pushed the letters on her desk to the side and folded her arms on top of it.

And wept.

She tried to stifle the sobs that tore at her body, for she feared for the sound to be picked up by the ears of those guarding her..guard, Monkey or otherwise.

Her tears mingled with the sweat on her forearms..and even before both had had enough time to dry, she straightened in a fluid move and got up to change.

The appointed hour was drawing near.


	64. Chapter 64

The door hardly made any sound as she opened it.

Elphaba sat at her desk, writing away furiously, her hair drawn back into a loose bun, the collar of the dress jacket open, revealing the smooth skin of a green neck.

How Glinda meant to reach out and touch her..

But she only allowed her eyes to drink in the sight.

Elphaba had worn the old Vinkus dress uniform, in which she had come, as Glinda had requested her to.

There was the smooth,silver white cape draped over the back of the couch in the dressing room.

The silver sword lay beside it.

Everything was prepared.

Made to match.

Glinda wore a creamy white dress, that hugged itself to her, embracing her kindly.

A few lines of color had been woven into the fabric...her hair had been braided and put up into coils that wound about her head.

It had grown longer in the past few months.

Pins with small birds complimenting the colors in her dress augmented it's lightness.

They would sparkle beautifully in the sunlight.

Still..she had not made her presence known..she saw Elphaba push her glasses back up onto her nose, from where they had slipped.

A gesture she employed when she was engrossed with her work and needed a moment to deliberate.

She knew her well..Elphaba...the Wicked Witch of the West.

„It is almost time for tea."

Her voice was quiet, the lie easy.

The green woman spun around to face her, her eyes clouded by the matters her mind was still occupied with, but they cleared as with a fresh wind and light filtered into them,matching the smile that spread over the beloved green face.

Glinda felt her heart pick up in her chest.

It was as though it beat out a specific rhythm.

Life.

And suddenly, the great Ruler of Oz felt herself grow strangely calm.

„Come." she said and held out her white gloved hand.

Green fingers slid over her palm.

„Tea?" Elphaba shot up a quirky eyebrow, there was a twinkle in her eye.

They had not met for lunch.

„And maybe cookies.." Glinda smiled at her, she knew that the green witch had eaten..she had told Mem to feed her, and there was no escape from the old nurse.

Nessarose was sleeping on the bed, dreaming happy babydreams, and Glinda regretted,,more than anything, to wake her.

She drew a solitary finger along the cheek of the dreaming infant, before Elphaba picked her up gently.

They went into the dressing room where the blonde stalled their progress by a soft touch to a green forearm.

She threw the princely cape about the other witch's shoulders and fastened the clasp.

Elphaba looked at her with questioning eyes, as she continued to fasten the sword to her belt.

„Uhm ..Glin.."she began.

„We have guests for tea."

„It's only four in the afternoon."

„ It is early tea."

Glinda took Elphaba's hand again, holding onto it firmly, and lead the green woman through the deserted halls of the castle.

Spell or no spell..people had been filtering into the grounds all day, and security was tight.

Her guards had all been ordered out of the inner workings of the palace and into the periphery.

Incidentally.

For outside security of course.

„Uhm..Glinda..this isn't the way to the kitchen.."

The place was a maze, but even Elphaba had noticed,that this wasn't their usual route.

They were walking in almost the opposite direction.

„No it isn't.." the Lady of Oz remained cryptic, begging her nerves not to fail her now.

Her roommate was growing increasinglysuspicious and anxious,it wouldn't be easy to get her where she needed to go.

But the Gilikin had known,that this could be a problem.

Suddenly a shadow separated itself from the darkness, Chistery fell before they feet.

The blonde almost sighed with relief.

„There you are!"

She petted the Animal briefly behind the ears, before letting him lead the way.

She had not slept this night.

But neither had she been idle.

Chistery moved a little awkwardly with the pain of his injury, but he clearly knew where he was headed.

Glinda could feel Elphaba still wonder next to her,struggling to form the question that was obviously on her mind..but the presence of the Monkey calmed the green woman somehwat.

It calmed her,too, if Glinda was honest.

Chistery was carrying the Grimmerie underneath his jacket..it was bound into the bandages of his chest.

He would leave with the green witch,if the need arose.

They finally rounded yet another corner. And entered a great room.

It featured a gleaming marble floor, a mirror on a far side,and a bench on the other, and was,for all its vastness..completely empty.

The Ruler of Oz closed the door behind them.

There were always boys holding the doors open for her on occasions such as these..just not today.

She was amazed at how heavy they were.

Her mind briefly flicked over all of the to dos she had meant for today, but could not find a single thing lacking.

Glinda relieved a bewildered Elphaba of the burden of her child, and kissed a tiny Nessarose softly on the nose, before handing the still sleeping infant to Chistery for safekeeping.

„Here?" The taller woman had panic written into her eyes.

„Who are we meeting?"

The Lady of Oz only smiled at her benignly,and fastened the last buttons of her collar for the taller woman.

„There.." she said, and patted Elphaba's shoulder down.

„What time is it?" she asked her green roommate.

„Five after four." Elphaba supplied after a glance at the clock near them.

„That is fashionably late."

She swallowed the sudden fear in her throat down, trying not to let it show in her eyes.

Her hand found Elphaba's again, and held onto it tightly.

Their fingers intertwined.

White and green.

„Who are we meeting?" the green witch reiterated her question.

„People." Glinda answered.

With that she pulled open the double doors to the balcony and led Elphaba out onto into the blinding sunlight.


	65. Chapter 65

**A/N:Hope you like.**

**Thank you for the lovely reviews.:-)**

**...  
**

Elphaba's eyes had trouble adjusting to the sudden onslaught of light.

But her skin gave her the indistinct news,that she was,indeed,outside.

She blinked twice, as the scenery before her swam into focus.

Her right pushed her glasses back onto her nose.

She blinked yet again.

But there still were hundreds of people trapped in a square just beneath her..and she was standing on a balcony.

Glinda squeezed her hand briefly, before she began to speak.

„Fellow Ozians..." the blonde began next to her.

But Elphaba could not hear her words.

There were people..so many people.

Most of them..who had been after her skin.

Literally.

True,they were not carrying torches and pitchforks now, but their eyes held shock and enmity.

This was a bad idea.

A bad,bad idea.

Elphaba meant to run, but Glinda held her hand in a vice like grip.

„It is us, who forgive, who,by giving it, gain the most.." her voice was full of emotion.

Practiced.

The green witch turned to the Ruler of Oz, and saw the small beads of sweat form at the base of her white neck.

Like a pillar Glinda the Good stood, talking, talking..words about love..about redemption..

„And who but knows, that maybe, maybe none of us are born wicked..and surely,none of us are born good..it is,maybe,a lack of love that makes us all of us,deprived of love,betrayed and heartbroken have felt it..."

Glinda's face became somber, implying to the crowd, that they must know what she was talking about, with Fiyero and she herself,wasn't all that sparkly,and bubbly all the time,but human,like them.

She continued.

„But it is also love that makes us change..that makes us humble, that makes us.. strive for greater things..greater than ourselves..and especially.."the Ruler of Oz,sure to have her audience's attention, paused for dramatic effect,"makes us want to be better."

She turned to Elphaba,her eyes full of tears for the viewers of her performance.

Her voice broke.

„_Good_, even."

She turned back around to the crowd and continued her sermon.

And Elphaba began to realize,that she was talking about her..about..

Glinda was using that rumor that had begun to circulate about them!

She was using it to..

The former wicked witch wanted to scream at the blonde woman next to her.

She had made her promise!

Promise!

Not to clear her name..

And now all would be lost.

All would be lost.

Glinda...

Who would not let her go, who rooted her to the spot.

Elphaba wanted to weep.

The sunlight caught itself in the small bejeweled birds adorning the Ruler of Oz' hair,

And for a mad second, the green witch thought how beautiful she was.

How beautiful, butterfly pin or not.

How tragically beautiful.

There was just so,so much silence.

Not even the wind made any sound as it ruffled through hair and shirtsleeves and cooled the drenched,sweaty backs and collars of the people.

The crowd beneath them remained silent, stunned.

Elphaba could feel Glinda stiffen next to her.

She shivered slightly despite the heat.

And it was Elphaba's turn to squeeze a white gloved hand in reassurance.

„Therefore I hereby wish to introduce to you, Elphaba..my partner, my other.

May any other name she has been previously known by be forgotten. And may she prove through valiant and noble deeds to be as worthy of your grandness of heart as I have been."

She was done.

And?

Nothing.

Still nothing.

Her ususally so talkative crowd was silent as the grave.

Glinda the Good, suppressed the urge to bite her lip.

Her eyes traveled over the crowd amassed beneath her to the far confines of the emerald palace, where the pack was waiting to strike, as soon as the spell had lifted.

She had failed.

Miserably.

But she had tried.

„Elphie.." she began and turned to the green woman next to her.

There was fear in Elphaba's eyes,hurt and anger..but also knowledge.

Her friend had understood what she had tried to do.

There was also a sadness mirrroring her own.

A tear stole itself over the white of Glinda's face..furrowing itself through a deep layer of make up.

A green finger caught it, grimacing in pain at the gesture.

This was goodbye then.

Glinda's palm settled softly against a green cheek.

„I am sorry." she whispered, before gently connecting her lips with the green witch's.

Elphaba felt her heart flip in her chest, before it sank like a stone.

This was all decidedly too unreal for her.

But as memories and realization caught up with her a silent tear stole itself over her own, verdant cheek.

The Ruler of Oz pulled back, and tucked the ever errant stray strand of hair behind a green ear.

Her eyes twinkled sadly, at the familiar gesture.

She began to speak under her breath, but it was not a language spoken by mortal men and women..it was..

Elphaba realized the words her bedmate had mumbled into her pillow that one morning,when she had charmed the alarmclocks into bubbles.

She felt Chistery crowd against her back with Nessa in his arms..while Glinda took a step back.

No!

With a quick step forward the green witch eliminated the growing distance between them.

She was angry, she felt betrayed, she felt heartbroken..and she was not going to let this happen.

She reached out in the limited space of the balcony and pulled Glinda roughly against herself.

Before the blonde witch could utter the last syllable of her spell, Elphaba crushed their lips together,silencing her effectively.

She felt the petite witch pull against her grasp weakly, but she would not let her go..would not let her finish the words she had started.

She would ..would not.

She would not leave her again..all of Oz be damned.

Elphaba kissed her ferociously, willing Glinda to understand,why she could not leave..and she felt her, finally, succumb.

The other woman grew weak against her, and the tall witch only pulled the petite Ruler of her country against her even more tightly, steadying her against her own desperate frame.

But she did not release the red lips, in fear the spell she had over the small woman might be broken,and another one might trespass.

Only when she was delirious from the lack of oxygen, did Elphaba draw back slightly.

Glinda fixated her with almost translucent eyes.

She wiped away the wetness on the green cheeks, unable to speak yet, and at a loss of what to say.

Her blood roared in her ears.

And it hooted.

_Hooted?_

The Lady of Oz turned her head to ascertain the source of the sound.

And it wasn't her blood that roared, it was her audience.

Their audience.

Glinda the Good blushed a deep shade of crimson,as she loosened herself out of Elphaba's embrace, and retucked a few loose strand of her own hair.

The other woman's eyes were still wild and confusified, but she immediately turned a very,very dark shade of emerald, as she too, became aware of the origin of the uproar around them.

„_The Fellow Munchkinlander!"_ someone shouted, and Glinda recognized the Leader of the Munchkin delegation she had met with previously.

She waved at him in her well practiced manner.

There was the occasional elderly couple giving each other a peck on the lips, and Glinda recognized, the reporter of the Ozian news, blowing wildly into a handkerchief and scribbling furioulsy onto a notepad.

„Long live the Wicked Witch!" someone shouted, and the crowd became less uproarious for a minute.

„Uhm.." Elphaba pushed her glasses back onto her nose.

„It's..Elphaba now.." she paused.."_Please..._"

The crowd was silent for a minute before shouting their praises for Elphaba.

Glinda shook her head inwardly.

„_Sex sells."_ she thought drily.

„_But then..whatever works."_

It was fine by her.

With a beaming smile she took Elphaba's hand.

The other woman looked at her, her eyes glinting with disbelief.

„Why are you green?" someone from the crowd shouted.

The unusual witch was a little unsure „Because I ate too much grass as a child.."she tried, and the crowd laughed with her.

Glinda exhaled a breath of relief.

It was time to get her roommate out of the crowd,before they could ask more devious questions.

They had a habit to.

„Is there going to be a great celebration in all of Oz soon?" an elderly woman with hopeful eyes asked of her.

Elphaba wouldn't have thought this to be this easy!

„I am sure of it!" she said.

All of the crowd oohed and aahed.

The green witch was puzzled for a moment.

Glinda, artfully blushing, took her hand, speaking up quickly.

„My fellow Ozians,now, that introductions have been made, I am afraid we must get back to work..if I remember correctly, a drought needs lifting, and there will be some meetings and questions to be had!"

„I thank you." she said sincerely,before pulling Elphaba with her indoors.

Once back inside the anteroom to the speaker's balcony, the Ruler of Oz pushed the heavy doors behind her shut and leaned against them.

Elphaba relieved Chistery from the burden of the baby, and checked on her awake daughter.

But the little girl was fine, and quiet.

It was her mother who needed the momentary distraction.

There was a crowd outside singing her praises, and her days of hiding were over.

Officially.

But she couldn't be happy.

Glinda had betrayed her promise to her, and all of this had been cut too close..had almost gone awry..and she hadn't told her!

Elphaba paced the great,empty anteroom.

What if...?

No.

Her blood began to boil.

Like cattle to the slaughterer her friend had led her before the crowd..and what was even worse..willing to spirit her away and sacrifice herself in the process..

They would have turned on their previous ruler, there was no doubt about that,she knew them..the uprighteous citizens of Oz...not to mention their private foes in the dark, who would not have waited long until the original caster of the spell would be removed from the castle and leave it unprotected..

And for what?

The heels of her white boots were hammering out a clear rhythm onto the shining marble floor.

Nessa yawned in her arms.

She would have liked to be asked.

Glinda still stood with her back against the curtained doors, as though to keep the crowds out.

She was exhausted.

In the last few days, she had been so worried and anxious, that she had forgotten what might happen if everything would turn out alright.

It had..it had turned out alright,hadn't it?

Her little trick had worked out and now Elphaba was free.

And she was furious.

That was to be expected,though, Glinda thought.

She watched the other woman stride through the great hall, struggling with her emotions.

Finally, she stopped right in front of her blonde friend.

„_How!.."_she uttered in a hiss, unwilling to wake the child that had fallen asleep again in her arms.

She felt utterly betrayed.

But Glinda did not face her..she caressed the cheek of the sleeping infant, happy, that even if her mother wasn't exactly the grateful type, and might storm out of the palace to never see her again, she had at least changed the life of the little Rose for the better.

But to be honest..her mother _was_ one heck of an ungrateful witch.

„_I.."_ Glinda was irked.

She had made her popular,of all things..free..released her from her years of being hunted like an animal ,and this was the way to thank her for it?

Both of them suddenly realized,that they were standing awfully close.

Nessarose was asleep, and Chistery had withdrawn into some corner to let them have their argument in peace.

Of all the things Glinda meant to say to the green,raging witch before her, she couldn't think of a single thing, all of a sudden

All she could think about were those lips on her own.

Elphaba had managed to kiss her quite senseless.

And the green witch,too,remembered just how they had scraped by so closely.

She was still mad..but the memory of the other woman against her,held the fountain of words she meant to sputter at bay.

Suddenly, the doors to the anteroom flew open, and two guards accompanied a very flushed looking Munchkin in.

Glinda and Elphaba immediately drew apart, embarrassed.

„Mylady," the head of the Munchkin farmer's delegation bowed before Elphaba.

„If I may have an audience with you.." he bent down on one knee..making the tiny man even smaller.

„Of course." Glinda was by Elphaba's side in a heartbeat.

„If you shall wish to return to Munchkinland, to be instated as the Governor thereof, it shall be my pleasure and my honor to accompany you,your Eminence."

Looking at the ground, he was unawares of the shocked expression on Elphaba's face.

„In the interim of Colwen Grounds being refitted for your residence therein, please allow me to offer my humble abode." he continued.

Elphaba kneeled down in front of him and lifted his chin up.

„ I do not wish to return to Colwen Grounds." she said softly.

„I may be of more use to Munchkinland and all of Oz here,in the Emerald city." She credited the man with a rare smile.

„Please,send my kind regards to your..our governor, doubtlessly an able man for choosing noble emmissaries such as you."

The man before her blinked twice.

Elphaba had turned her voice to almost a whisper.

„And give our people my sincerest apologies for the Rule of Terror,not only that was my own,but my sister's,as well..may the Unnamed God be as merciful and kind as she believed him to my child be the cure to her name before the people."

The small man before her chanced a brief glance at the normal skinned infant and then clasped her hands tightly in between his own.

„Let us all hope." he kissed her knuckles, before he fled from the room.

Glinda laid her hand onto a shoulder that was still covered by the heavy cloak.

„That was well done...and.. it is..you know..time for tea.."she added softly.

Elphaba got up shaking herself from the cobwebs of the past.

Colwen Grounds..

This was a strange day.

Glinda murmured the words, so the guards by the door would not over hear.

„So you are staying?" her eyes were unreadable as Elphaba looked at them.

She wondered, sometimes, what exactly it was, that Ginda was thinking of her.

„I am still mad at you." she said instead.

„But yes. Of course."

To keep up appearances Glinda linked her arm with Elphaba's as they strode through the dark emerald halls.

The green witch twitched in startlement every time a soldier would straighten up and salute them at their approach, but that,too, lessened as they progressed through the castle,that Elphaba's father had built all of those many years ago.


	66. Chapter 66

**A/N: Hi there, first of all:Thank you for your faithful readership and reviewing.I can't describe how much you guys have made my days these last couple of weeks! Now, I will get back to the thing that I do and actually get paid for next week and might not update as frequently .Probably not,but who knows? I shall do my best. But I wanted to give you guys a heads up.**

**Actually I was even considering stopping the story with the last chapter and silently writing ahead and posting things after some sort of official break in a more regular manner again. But since I'm sick and home in bed, I thought I might just as well continue.I was thinking about stopping „Part I" with the last chapter and beginning a sequel,but that would just be confusifying to new readers, and since someone actually mentioned, that you don't mind a story that just goes on and on, forever and ever, I thought I'd just continue up until the end I have actually planned;-)**

**Now, all of you wonderful people who have me on story alert: I will begin,as has been suggested, to battle it out with the technical kinks in the first chapters. My incredible and very beloved friend Sthur has begun betaing the whole tale from the very beginning, so I will hope to get you,while not a new, an improved version of the story up,and will reupload the chapters. Now, those of you with the story alerts: I will strive to reupload several chapters at once, so you can just peacefully ignore those alerts. New chapters will be installed as singles as usual, probably on separate days.**

**So lots of talk, sorry about that, I just thought I'd keep you guys updated;-)**

**By the way, I am a great fan of a lot of things, and love to allude to and quote ( i.e. „The lie with an ounce of truth..")..so if something or other rang a little familiar, it probably was;-) There might even be something in here...there might even be a little something in the future...Have a good weekend!**

**And enjoy!**

Glinda stirred her tea listlessly.

Surprisingly enough, it was scaldingly hot, as always.

Judging by the atmosphere of the room, she ought to have tried to work the silver of the encrested spoon through a firm layer of ice, though.

Elphaba was conversing tersely with Mem,making arrangements for carriages and baby clothes, now that they weren't in hiding anymore, and manged to ignore her roommate completely.

Of course, the blonde didn't feel the need to inform her in turn, that she had already ordered out for her old baby things from Gilikin.

That,too, had been part of the plan and set to get rumors going.

A part of her,the part that blew wistfully into her cup of tea to cool it down, wondered what the faces of her parents would have looked like upon receiving the letter yesterday.

By Gilikin tradition, onesies and baby stuffs were passed down from one generation to the other.

She chanced another glance at the witch across at the table.

There she was,Elphaba, still angry, green as sin, in her gleaming,white uniform, and her hair slightly disheveled..and not only from the wind...

Glinda blushed a little at the thought, and quickly diverted her attention back onto the cooling of her tea.

She couldn't help the grin that spread over her face though.

Her mind skipped over possibilities to have her parents' picture taken when they would receive tomorrow's paper.

There was bound to be a picture on there.

By all probability a rather.. compromising one.

On the cover.

Over sized.

Maybe a photo mini series?

Maybe the Ruler of Oz ought to send her mother a vat of smelling salts, she figured.

But maybe not.

Glinda smiled mischieviously as she took a sip of the milky liquid.

There ought to be a possibilty for having a picture taken of her parents' faces,though..she was the Ruler of Oz,still, after all..

Her mind was harping on possibilities ranging from consulting crystal balls over sending a Monkey with a camera for the occasion, when her hand, thoughtlessly ventured towards the cookie plate.

It found a cookie there, but it was already claimed by another pair of blind, idle fingers.

Green ones.

Elphaba looked up at her at the touch,clearly startled.

There was a brief flicker of something other than rage in her eyes, and she quickly averted her face, to focus her attention back on Mem.

Glinda was furious.

How could the other girl be so angry with her,after all she had done for her?

Been ready and willing to sacrifice?

She wanted to sob in anger and desperation.

But not now.

Not while _she_ was there to see it.

While the sunlight streamed luxuriously through the kitchen window.

While Rose, was trying to reach for the glittering drops of water that spilled carelessly from the faucet.

And not while Mem was there.

The old woman had regarded them with a raised eyebrow after their brief exchange and excused herself quickly for some duty that required her out of the kitchen.

She would be asked,...and more despisingly,_ advised_ accordingly in how to treat your partner, later, extensively, Glinda knew.

The blonde sighed.

Her eyes traveled beyond the window out to the sky, where dusk was sure to fall sometime soon.

„_No Good Deed goes unpunished",_ she thought despairingly.

Elphaba was focusing all of her attention onto her darling little baby daughter, and Glinda wondered for a moment, if she could ask her to hold the little girl for a moment..or if offfering to change the baby would appease her green friend somewhat.

It was a big offer on her part.

One she wasn't even sure she should be making.

She had done nothing wrong!

The Lady of Oz buried her face into her palms with a sigh.

Suddenly, it grew dark all around her.

„_The Witch..."_

The wind whispered the words loudly.

It was angry.

Angry,angry.

„_The Wiiitch..."_ it hissed into her ears.

Glinda dropped her white hands onto the table, but her eyes could not see the light, could not see the familiar surroundings of her kitchen..

All they could gather was darkness, a terrible, terrible darkness..

She got up, blindly, edging out from behind the table,only to stumble backwards.

She needed to get away from Elphaba, get away from the baby..

They mustn't be touched..consumed by this..this..void..this..this..blackness.

And there it was..the shadows, unable to touch her, hissing at her, screaming at her..

The wind howled loudly in her ears.

„_THE WIIIITCH!"_

Glinda dimly felt her back connect with the wall.

She felt them advance, reach for her...reach-

She threw up her arms in blind defense, her eyes remained unseeing in this terrible, terrible nothingness, and suddenly-

All was full of light again.

She felt a warm, familar body pressed against her, felt an arm, that snaked over her back, only to bury itself in her hair.

And there was a forehead, pressing itself to her temple, and only then, did Glinda notice the soft whisper of words that did not carry on the summer breeze, but were hummed in a monotonous rhythm near her ear.

„_Oshta..oshta...galadrinem kazuam, kazuam,oshta,elberenum, gezonium, galadrinem, galadrinem.."_

When she dared to open,them, her eyes found the child that Elphaba held cradled between them.

Rose grasped at her golden curls, that sparkled so prettily in the sun, and suddenly, Glinda,to her own surprise, found herself crying.

Not to splash the infant with her tears, she buried her eyes against the white clad shoulder, and to her surprise, she felt Elphaba's free hand disentangle itself from her hair and traverse to her shoulder, embracing her as best as she could, with only one arm, even though the green witch had stopped her chanting and knew for the danger to have passed.

They remained like this for a few, quiet minutes, until Glinda had composed herself enough to get up off of the floor.

Mem would return any moment, and it simply would not do for her old caretaker to find her weeping on the floor with her imaginary lover comforting her.

Domestic violence wasn't a rumour she was going for with the former Wicked Witch as her supposed partner.

That wouldn't do at all.

There was open,undiluted worry in Elphaba's eyes,when she caught them in getting up, but the green girl,quickly turned away and averted her gaze from hers, and Glinda almost wished, that she had,indeed been slaped instead.

It would have hurt less that way.

And she could have hit back.

But like this..like this..

With Elphaba prowling the room like an injured animal..or Animal..or whatever..punishing her for Oz knew what..it was almost too much bear.

„_Talk to me!"_Glinda meant to scream..but she knew she mustn't disturb the child.

Mustn't disturb the troubled witch,even.

Mustn't disturb the strange peace of the room.

Now that the darkness had passed.

When Elphaba finally turned to talk to her, her eyes were clear, focused, distant, her mind set on its course.

„We need to talk to Pegs as soon as possible."

Her manner was straightforward.

All business.

All of this emotional toying around was distracting Elphaba from her purpose, she was in the Emerald Palace..had come all this way for a reason,after all.

„They are breaching the spell..I don't know how exactly..they're stunned for the moment..but probably regrouping.." the green witch paused, continuing her pacing.

„I need to work some things out with the Grimmerie,find a stronger,better spell.." again, she looked directly at Glinda, and her eyes were blazing,intense for a moment, but that passed, and Elphaba did not speak what was on her mind.

She shook her head at herself,repositioning Nessa against her shoulder, before continuing her train of thought.

Mem chose that moment to enter the kitchen.

Glinda had repositioned herself in front of her tea,miserably failing to hide her cried out eyes behind her cup, while the green woman was agitatedly pacing over the clean tiles in even cleaner boots, struggling with tears herself.

„_Ah, to be young..", _Mem thought to herself cynically.

She had never cared much for the dramatics of that time in her life, and was glad of the peace of old age.

But if the green woman was going to hurt her little girl, the old woman would make sure, that she'd come after her with a pitchfork or a bucket of water or a spellbook,or whatever worked in her case.

„Mem, do you happen to have some carrots or apples? We've been meaning to take the little Rose to the stables." Glinda's voice gave no indication that anything out of the ordinary had just taken place.

The true master of her political profession, it never would.

Mem sighed to herself, before rummaging inside the bin with the fruits and then the vegetables.

„Wait, I'll peel horses like them better that way."

The old woman turned her back to the quarreling lovers and set upon her task.

To her surprise, Elphaba slowly made her way over to Glinda and handed her the baby with downcast eyes and without another word.

She took up another knife and helped her peel the carrots silently.

The old woman huffed.

At least the girl had manners..it was enough to get back into her good graces for now.

And the fact, that she seemed at least equally as miserable as her blonde protege by the table.

But a quick glance to the dining table, told Mem, that Glinda wasn't all that miserable any more.

The girl looked at Elphaba's back, forlornly, unable to guess what the green woman had meant by the gesture of handing her her daughter.

The baby girl quickly demanded all of her attention, though, and the Ruler of Oz decided after a few minutes, that today was as good as any a day to start changing her herself.


	67. Chapter 67

"So,what would you know?"

Glinda's teasing voice disturbed the dusty air of the stable.

Pegs was leaning against the far,wooden wall,dozing.

Night would fall soon enough,and with it would come its call..his call.

He blinked sleepily into the light from the hallway.

There stood the tiny Lady of Oz.

Doubtlessly about to tease him about his haggard,unkempt appearance,and there stood,too,amazingly enough,the Wicked Witch.

In all her green glory,a basket with food slung over her arm,as though she had just come from harvesting fruit in the Gardens.

Just a leisurely stroll with the baby that rested on the Good Witch of Oz' arm.

Pegs snorted angrily.

He didn't like it when things didn't make sense.

He liked it even less when people were unwittingly putting themselves in danger.

With a grunt he unglued himself from the wall.

"What do you think you're doing here?"he aksked gruffly.

But he snorted playfully into the baby's face nonetheless.

It had been such a long time since he had seen her!

As expected the tiny girl chuckled, rocking her small body with merriment.

The Horse smiled tiredly down at her.

There were a few,only a few..things,that made it all worth it, but still...

He glanced evilly at the blonde,daring her to make a comment,but Glinda,not quite sure what exactly was going on,quickly bit her snark down.

His eyes traveled to Elphaba.

The green witch stood,silent and very pale against the light.

Pegs sighed.

He was probably looking an awful mess.

But there was something else in the witch's eyes,and the Free couldn't help but feel a little proud of her.

Realization.

She was a smart girl after all.

Not for nothing had she been the good Doctor's favorite student.

"We brought you apples." she said softly.

And Pegs gave the basket on her arm a brief nudge.

"Nice.", was all he said, while studying both witches who had come to visit him so unexpectedly a little more thoroughly.

The light in the hallway of the stables was glaring down on the two of them, and although Glinda the Good Witch of the North quickly averted her eyes when he looked into them a little too directly, he could, in that glimpse see, how bloodshot they were.

From crying or fatigue, he wasn't sure.

And Elphaba, Elphaba, who stood, in the bright light without so much as a hint of white on her face.

Or fear.

Pegs raised his grey brow.

But the Wicked Witch of the West was,indeed a little green around the gills, no pun intended.

Her eyes, though,were on fire.

Pegs wasn't sure if she meant for the other witch to part before speaking to him, but there,clearly, was something on her mind.

A stable boy,ambled past, hardly taking curious notice of them, and a green hand fumbled mindlessly in the basket for a peeled slice of apple.

The Horse perked up immediately.

He nibbled good naturedly on the fruit, even though he wouldn't be caught dead,usually, eating out of a human's hand!

When he wasn't able to pick up on any other people or beings who might be able to overhear them, he bid the small family inside.

Snatching another apple out of the basket, he walked back into the shadows, while the blonde witch sat on the stool in the corner.

The taller of the two of them, sat down the basket and began to pace the small space agitatedly.

"You're fools." Pegs said in a low grumble.

"It's almost nightfall And why bring the child?"

Ok, he wasn't really complaining about that..but it was dangerous.

The Horse took a gulp of water from the bucket by his trough.

"What should nightfall matter?" Elphaba wasn't in a mood to be beating around the bush either.

Pegs walked back over to the Ruler of all of Oz and the tiny creature on her arm, only to softly blow through the sparse hairs on the child's head.

"You know fine well how it matters." he was still addressing Elphaba, while he busied himself with the tiny human.

"Yes. But how do you?" The green witch's eyes burned in the darkness.

"I know." Pegs grinned as the little girl grasped his lower lip in her miniature fist.

It hurt a little, true, but he was a big boy, and happy, that the kid was able to hold onto things so tightly already.

How he had wished for one of his own..

This was,what this was going to be about anyways,wasn't it?

"Just ask,already, Elphaba."is voice was soft now, calm.

"You know I am as much of your friend as I can be. Night _is _going to fall soon enough, and you need the tiny one out of here before then.

The green witch's voice was mirroring his own's gentleness.

"Why don't you just tell?" it was almost a whisper, a plea.

"I can't." he said simply.

"But I can answer."

Now the tiny hand had closed around his nostril..speaking about painful!

But he couldn't help but smile,nonetheless.

"Why do you patrol the castle at night?"

The first question was unexpected, and Pegs could feel the blonde in front of him flinch in surprise.

"For protection."he said curtly, smiling at the infant,while Elphaba resumed her pacing behind him.

"From whom?"

"I cannot tell you if you don't know."

If he wanted to play like this, fine..but this was a futile line of questioning.

"Why can't you tell us?"

He paused, weighing his answer carefully.

Score.

"I am forbidden by the code of my people."Pegs response was uneven.

"Why?" another unexpected question.

"There are things amongst us, that we must never speak about to others." he scrunched up his brow in concentration.

"Like your bastard children?" Elphaba had meant this question as a probing one, she had not anticipated the Horse's reaction.

He rounded on her in the blink of an eye, crowding her into a corner, baring his teeth.

"Do.._.not_...call...them...that." he said, his tone dangerously low.

Elphaba caught Glinda's eyes over his shoulder.

The sapphire ones had widened.

She had been right.

Elphaba's theory had proven true.

"But something..something is wrong with them..isn't there?" the small woman's voice was careful, timid.

She couldn't put her finger on the feeling they gave her..but something just wasn't right.

Pegs turned around to face her, his anger gone as quickly, as it had come.

"Yes. There always,always is." he shook his head sadly, letting it hang low,as he paced around the small stable.

There was no one, not human nor beast able to hear them his trusted senses told him , so why,why stick to rules that ages of simple tradition had imprinted upon him?

It was all good for nothing anyways.

"The Rohim, "he whispered softly.

Elphaba wanted to start the next question, but quickly bit it down.

"The Children of Beast and Man.." the Horse paced through the stable, not heeding the witches in it with a single glance.

"Monsters..monsters to both worlds.."he sighed, "always."

"But..but..why?" It was Glinda's voice that tore through the darkness.

She could feel his bitterness and sadness.

And she hurt for him.

Pegs looked up at her,as though seeing the small Ruler sitting on the stable boy's stool in the corner of his box for the first time.

"It is just...just the way it is, I guess." his fur rippled along his torso in a Horse shrug.

"Cruel, hungry for power, hungry for money..hungry...for blood even.." he snorted.

"You can't tell me either,why some humans are the way they are,now,can you?"

Glinda thought back to Morrible, to the Wizard even, and shook her head in defeat.

"Probably genetics." she nurmured.

And both Elphaba and the white Horse looked at her with surprise clearly written all over their faces.

"Yes. Probably." Pegs walked over to the child in her arms, to ruffle the soft hairs again with his breath.

There was a reason to everything he figured..but they weren't all for them to know.

It was Elphaba who had resumed her fast pacing behind them.

"But why the magical ability?" she asked suddenly.

"Why the hate for Animals?"

"Why..why.." she shook her head to herself.

She was missing something vital here.

"I thought Animals can't do magic?" she ended with finally.

Pegs looked at her with a smile on his face.

Yes, she was a smart girl.

"You are quite correct, Animals can't do magic." he neighed.

"But there are some," he paused with a grin,"who cannot be touched by magic either."

Elphaba looked at him flabbergasted.

"What do you mean?" her eyes were wide.

In her understanding and conceptualization of magic, it was impossible not to be touched by it.

It was the mastery of matter itself..for one not to be subject to it..

Pegs laughed at her.

Wizards and witches always presumed they had potential control over _everything._

They were confused like children, when they realized,that this wasn't necessarily the case.

"Centuries ago, it became clear to some animals, that magic couldn't touch them."

He paused with an amused eyebrow,to see whether or not she was following.

"When they realized,that they couldn't do any either,but had the choice to be free of the Witches' and Wizards' rule,they took to the forests, and founded their own society, the Free."

He snorted.

"End of story."

Elphaba looked at him,still unsure.

"But what does that have to do with the _Rohim_?" she tried the new word on her tongue.

"Well, they are obviously," he whinnied at the approaching night sky"magical creatures."

"However, they cannot,much to their chagrin, master their parents, so their revenge, is for all Animalkind.."

"The powerless, the accepted..the loved."

He snorted.

"And mankind."

"Why did they not attack sooner?" Elphaba's question and answer session wasn't anywhere near over.

"It seems, that the Wizard had struck up some sort of wicked deal with them."

Pegs snorted in derision.

"Peace..I guess he would have called it..their services and silence,for half their revenge.."

He shook his head.

"Give the old man something, he knew how to keep people blind and content, but intrigued."

"What revenge?" this time it was Glinda's voice, from over in the corner.

Her voice was small, fearful, she could still feel them, their malintent, their willingness to hurt and harm.

But why?

Pegs eyes grew sad.

"They are..monsters.." he repeated quietly.

"Not beloved by their parents..but instead,hunted..defied.." he shook his head sadly.

"With no place to call home..no love to call their own."he clenched his teeth.

"And those who gave birth to them,wishing to have never been.." he looked out of the window, not seeing the green witch in the dark corner ball her fists, and swallow down angry tears.

But Glinda noticed.

She wanted, more than anything to go over and hug Elphaba, tell her, that her father had,indeed loved her, even if she didn't believe it herself.

"Power...Attention." Pegs said softly into the night sky.

"They love it,like others love their families and spouses."

The green witch quickly turned her head aside in shame.

"You're not like that." Glinda said earnestly.

"Elphaba.." she couldn't help herself, and got up to walk over to the green witch.

"You have never been like this..you have never been wicked..never" Glinda reached with her free hand for the white shoulder, but the taller witch turned away from her touch.

"Never.." Glinda said softly.

But little did she know about angry vows in dark chambers.

"_No good deed.."_

Suddenly Glinda slapped her white clad shoulder.

Hard.

"Don't you dare let Morrible make you believe any of that! Don't you dare!"

Upset herself, the blonde quickly walked back over to her stool, trying to calm the baby in her arms, that had begun to sniffle, dangerously close to tears.

"Uhm, Ladies.." Pegs had followed the spectacle curiously,"Let's get back on topic here,shall we?"

He was a little bewildered.

"So.." Elphaba was quickly fighting for her composure.

"How do we beat them?"

Pegs gave her a quizzical look.

"No idea."he said evenly,resuming his pacing,now that the witch was still.

"There have been uprisings and subduements throughout history, but I'm not learned in these matters.."

He sighed, concentrating.

"There was a book, once, I believe.." he trailed off, trying to remember more detail, but both Glinda and Elphaba quickly looked at each other, paling.

"Uhm, anything else?" the green witch probed.

"Noble knights, magic, battles.." he shrugged,"that sort of thing."

"Maybe we have a book of that kind of history in our library.." Glinda paused to think.

All three of them were silent for a few more moments, their heads whirring.

"How..how do they go about everyday life?" Elphaba asked suddenly.

Pegs gave her a quizzical look.

"They don't look "normal"..and Oz knows how hard it is to fit in,without arousing suspicion or detection..."

The emerald woman had been famous the minute she was anywhere..she couldn't believe, that some Animal/Human halfbreeds wouldn't have stuck out like a sore thumb,wherever they went,whatever they did..

She would at least have had to have heard of anyone..

"Oh,"Pegs couldn't help with that one.

"Magic, disguises..illusion,I guess.."

"The Circus?" Glinda tried to help.

Suddenly Elphaba looked at both of them.

"Illusionists." she said with awe in her voice.

Of course.

Combine powerful magic with changing your appearance.

There were whole..families of them.

"The Vanderbeers" Glinda said, as though she had guessed her train of thought.

"Who are they?" Pegs was a little behind,as the two women shared a look of revelation between them.

Glinda got up, excitedly.

"They are..they are..the most famous and powerful family of illusionists in all of Oz!" she exclaimed happily.

"And they're hosting a ball next Thursday." her eyes glinted in the half light as she looked at Elphaba.

The green woman groaned.

"Glin..we're not invited.." she tried to amend, her love for parties and balls was limited to say the least.

"Are you kidding?" the Ruler of Oz looked at her incredulous.

"We're the new IT Couple of Oz..of course we're invited!Half of the Who's Who of the Emerald City will be there! I'll see that we have an official invitation by tomorrow." the blonde was a little too excited for her taste, Elphaba decided.

"You are?" Pegs looked back and forth between the two women.

Well, of course, he had guessed something of the sort..one doesn't run like a crazy person through the forest in the middle of the night, for your old friend from college..but he must have missed more than he was aware of with his night shifts and all.

Elphaba sighed, the old sparkle of hurt and mistrust back in her eyes, that had been all but forgotten for a moment.

"Glinda thought it a brilliant idea, to tell all of Oz, that the Wicked Witch of Oz is back, and all changed for the better through her love for her." she explained through clenched teeth.

The blonde in question quickly looked away as though she had been slapped.

Her blood shot eyes probably were from crying then, Pegs thought.

He was still puzzled.

"Well..and that isn't the case?"

Elphaba's voice was cold.

"No. Glinda used a rumour, sprang me onto a crowd of a few thousand people and told them, that I was alive and well and _good_ now." she paused,her eyes not leaving the blonde's head who still did not look at her.

"It almost went all bad." she said very quietly.

Pegs could only guess how she felt.

"So all the years of hiding for nothing then?" he tried to comprehend.

"Yes." Elphaba's stare was still hard upon the small woman.

"You would have been safe." came a whisper from the corner.

But the green witch quickly turned away herself now.

"And _you_?" her voice broke.

"I have to go."

With that she left the stable in a few wide strides, while the blonde in the corner began to sob horrendously.

Pegs was stomped.

What had just happened?

There was a blonde,human witch in his box, the Ruler of the whole nine yards ,no less, and she was crying horribly into his straw bedding.

He carefully picked a carrot out of the basket that the other witch had left behind and held it out to Glinda helplessly.

He reeeallly didn't know how to deal with crying women..

It had been far too long.

"Uh, eat something..I heard it helps.." he said gently.

Glinda was quickly battling down the threatening sobs, bobbing the child on her hip up and down merrily.

It wouldn't do to have the little Rose crying,too.

She was genuinely sorry for upsetting the child.

The little girl already had little tears in the corners of her eyes.

Absentmindedly, used to having food randomly thrust into her hands by now, Glinda took a bite off of the carrot with a loud crack, grinning at the baby through her tears.

"Uh.." Pegs began pacing unsurely.

Night would be upon them soon,but he didn't want to kick the upset woman out of the stable right now.

"You want to talk about it?" he began vaguely, desperately trying to go over the conversation in his mind,to see,where he could comfort her.

"No." Glinda sighed.

Ooookkk.

"Uhm..I'm..I'm sure she didn't mean what she said.." Pegs was trying to remember what exactly that had been.

Hold on.

"You're not a couple then?" his voice was incredulous.

"No.."Glinda took a deep breath.

"Like she said, I used a rumour about a secret lover I supposedly had in the castle, _her_, and spread some other rumors, and then kind of..well I _did _just shove her in front of a good part of the Emerald city..and.." Glinda paused.

Pegs was impressed.

"Risky business." he said."That could have gone wrong,easily."

"I know. But if things hadn't turned out"she paused,"the way they had, I would have bubbled her away to safety with the little Rose."she nodded at the child.

"And you?" Elphaba's last words haunted him,he wasn't sure the blonde had even heard them.

"I would have stayed behind and picked up the blame and the damage." Glinda shrugged, but Pegs' head had jerked up suddenly.

"They would have _killed_ you!"he whispered unbelieving.

He didn't want the child to hear.

It wouldn't have been pretty either.

"I know." Glinda huffed.

It was like everyone was crediting her with bubbles not brains.

"They are my people..I _know_ them.."

The Horse was dumbfounded.

"You..eh..you.." he paced through his box, confused.

"That was a high gamble." he said instead,stopping in front of her and looking at her fully.

Glinda swallowed heavily on her piece of carrot.

"I know." she said quietly.

And Pegs believed her.

She reached into the basket for another slice of apple, hoping the Horse hadn't slobbered all over the fruit.

"Did you want to see them,"she nodded at the child in her arms,"on the run,hiding,forever?"

She thought of Elphaba, painting even her hands white, and the memory jarred her.

"Of course not." Pegs resumed his pacing, neighing.

"So, she is a changed woman now, because of her love for you? Wicked Witch then,Good Witch now?That is how the story goes?" he studied the woman from underneath his mane.

"Yes..life changing love for her daughter..good intentions towards all of Oz and redemption through me..it's pretty much like that."

Ok, maybe she was just a little proud, that her scheme had worked out.

It hadn't been easy.

"Why now?"Pegs was still a little overwhelmed.

They had a whole dark army of halfbreeds going for their throats without the extra threat of a failed plan for popularity..

Of all things..

"Gossip goes stale pretty quickly..it had to be now." Glinda chewed on her apple.

"Timing was of the essence."

"Ok." Pegs had to admit,it was pretty brilliant, in a totally, dumb,reckless,unnecessary way,of course.

He had almost broken all of his four legs to get the other witch through the forest,only to save this one, and now, she was ready to throw her life away like a piece of toilet paper.

He could see how Elphaba was a little upset.

A little.

But Elphaba was missing a certain detail here.

But maybe,again, she wasn't and that was the problem.

Or...

Pegs hated women.

He hated humans.

And he hated women.

There was a good reason, that his people had withdrawn to hide in the forests centuries ago:

Nerves.

He sighed.

"So,now,that means..you 'll be playing the happy,lovey dovey couple for everyone to see ?"

Now,that would be interesting,judging by what he had just witnessed,

"Yes." Glinda offered a piece of her apple to the child, who only grasped at it.

The IT Couple of Oz, she had said.

Smart girl.

Every door would be open to them,indeed...

But there was a sadness in the blonde's eyes.

It permeated her whole being.

Like a shadow,like a cloud ,it passed over her, and suddenly, it all made sense.

"Oh." Pegs said.

And suddenly,he felt tears sting at his eyes.

Glinda tried to let Nessarose taste the apple, but as she looked up, her eyes caught his.

There was a lake up int the mountains he had seen a few years ago, that had exactly the same shade,when the sun caught it, Pegs thought.

They looked at each other for a long moment, and Glinda knew,that he knew.

"I think, that it is time for us to go, dusk is almost all about us." she got up stiffly.

"Oh yes!" Pegs needed them back inside the safety of the Palace by nightfall.

He walked the Lady of Oz the few steps to his door.

"Uhm, Your Highness.."he began, unsure of what to say.

He playfully nudged her in the side, trying to comfort or at least cheer her up a little.

"It's ok Pegs, "Glinda laid a white gloved hand onto his cheek.

"It's ok,really." her voice was very quiet.

She gave him a tight smile and hurried out of the stables along the well lit corridor.

"_I think she loves you,too." _Pegs whispered into the still air of his box.

But he couldn't be sure, and it wasn't for him to say.

He wiped a stray tear on his foreleg.

By the Unnamed God, how he hated humans!

He paced his box a little trying to get a hold of the lump in his throat.

When night had fully fallen, a familiar rust colored head poked itself through the small opening of his window.

Pegs shook his head from the events of the evening, having come to a decision at last.

The Squirrel sat on the ledge, flicking open a miniature pocket watch and looked at him quizzically.

"I know,I know it's time.." he walked over,letting the small Animal climb in between his ears, before unlatching the door and stepping outside.

"You'll have to hold the fort down by yourselves for a couple of days, I'm leaving in the morning." he murmured to his miniscule companion before the night swallowed them up completely.


	68. Chapter 68

The sun had sunk brilliantly over the Western sky, leaving it stained a deep purple and navy blue where the darkness of night had begun to steal the last of the golden light away.

With the fall of night a gentle breeze had begun to stir the stifling heat of yet another rainless summer day into a more bearable,and yet relentlessly warm and humid silk.

"_The wind..the wind,_" Elphaba thought, as she felt it touch her face through the missing window pane of the closed frame.

The wind..it had brought her here after all.

It had spoken of dangers,of darkness and of need.

The wind,the wind...

With the churning of the sea upon it.

With the cry of the seagulls.

It had spoken of a yearning.

Of a place.

Of a home.

The candle on the desk flickered slightly.

But the breeze that brought relief from the sea vanished as quickly as it had appeared.

Immediately, the air of the room settled back around the green witch.

Elphaba could feel it alight on her skin again like a liquid being.

The heavier for the brief respite from the merciless heat.

The green witch shook her head into the thickness.

Her hair was clinging damply to her neck where it had come loose from a carelessly twisted bun.

She was here now, and this whole business of standing by the window, watching the sun set and straining out into the night was unsettling her.

It was so much like at another place,another time.

Somewhere colder..darker,even.

But she was here now.

Free to go any time she pleased.

Wherever she wished.

Unsought for.

Unfollowed.

Unhunted.

Her fingers clenched agitatedly, clasped tightly in front of her stomach.

Glinda still wasn't here.

Home.

In this room they shared.

And Elphaba knew, that she was safe..knew that they both were safe.

The woman and the child.

Knew it in a way,that no one but her could ever know..

Knew that she needed to sit by the desk and get work done..research.

_That_ would do a lot more for their combined safety than _this_.

This was entirely unsensical.

She had even asked the Captain of the Guard to accompany the Lady Glinda from the stables to the castle,fearing the ominous fall of night..

Unsensical.

She could feel her now.

Glinda.

Moving along the castle, taking her time, chatting with the guards, showing the little girl this and that-

Elphaba could feel her.

She was so close.

So close already.

She could feel her on the night air wafting in through the gap in the glass.

Could sense her through the humidity, that was heavy with the smell of the night blooms of the summer flowers.

Could feel her in the darkness that settled upon her skin like a cloak.

Like another skin...

Warm and humid and heavy against herself.

Elphaba closed her eyes against the darkness, that was so thick,so blue..

It was as though the night meant to reach out and touch her..velvet.

Draw its blue and purple bruised skin along her greenness.

No.

This reaching out into the summer night..it wasn't really doing her any good, the witch decided.

Her eyes flew open, trying to refocus onto reality.

Onto the here and now.

No good at all.

But maybe..maybe she was wrong, and Glinda wasn't alright?

Her powers had betrayed her before..

She just needed to make sure..even if it was rather..illogical..

Even if the overpowering aroma of the flowers made her a little dizzy.

But what if anything happened to Glinda?

She closed her eyes again, her palms were slick with sweat against one another.

Her heart started beating in her chest,even as she felt the blonde's presence shift through he halls around her.

Illogically, it started beating even faster, when Elphaba felt her approach.

Time and space were such tricky,tricky things in the magical world, the green woman thought.

She felt Glinda's hand on the door,felt the air stir around her as she entered the room, even before the click of the door, heard its soothing sound on the carpet.

Home.

The Munchkinlander released a sigh of relief.

Glinda was home.

And now, now that she had anywhere, absolutely everywhere to go, Elphaba realized,so was she.

Where the seagull cried.

The end to all yearning.

She_ felt _Glinda push the warm and dense air upon her, heard the impression the blonde's unshod soles made on the carpeting, felt her hover behind her, expectant,waiting.

And yet,Elphaba could not turn around.

She had not yet withdrawn back into herself, was too fragile,too sensitive, yet.

Her senses outlined Glinda's shape, her form against the dark.

Unsensically.

She needed to guard herself now.

Gather herself up and back into herself.

And Elphaba wondered why, why she needed to feel her out, to draw her shape back into the shadows beyond the power of her eyes.

She knew how Glinda felt.

Had always known.

But she realized,that she needed to recognize her, feel, her..taste her upon the wind.

For reassurance..solely for reassurance...

There was her smell..so popular and uniform, and yet so distinct underneath it all.

It stole itself underneath the heavy aroma of the evening flowers.

The way Glinda shifted from one foot to the other,shifting the baby's weight in her arms.

Elphaba felt almost caressed by the gesture.

Touched.

She longed for the other woman to step closer..just move a little bit closer..just a little.

To close the gap that the heavy air left between them.

End the longing of her senses..silence her mind, her thought,her soul, and reassure her..reassure her..

Reassure her, that she was back, that she was here.

Real.

Not just another imagining of her feverish self on the the outstretched night.

Elphaba was so tired..so tired of stringing herself out like this.

Reaching upon the wind..upon the feel of the night air.

For her.

And now, that she was so close..so close..

To almost..almost...

With a shiver, the green witch remembered the feel of her,of Glinda against herself,this very afternoon.

She needed reassurance..

Solely reassurance.

And now, that she was so sensibly strung out into the dark..that the other woman was so close..

So close..

It was...

Dangerous.

But her mere presence..was like a ..a water, she bathed in...a lake..

A brook.

A sea.

It was so warm..so hot..so humid..around them..

And yet she could not drink.

If Glinda..if Glinda would only reach out and touch her now..

Elphaba was sure, that she would fall.

That she would drown.

But she craved it.

The water.

Just as she had craved flight before.

Wasn't falling another way of flying after all?

She closed her eyes, shutting all of her senses but one to the woman behind her.

Her roommate.

Her friend.

Elphaba wanted to be home.

Most of all.

She wanted to be home.

And there Glinda was.

Safe.

Safe.

And yet..anger stirred inside her..anger and worry.

And the familiar feeling of..betrayal.

This afternoon.

How could she have done what she did?

How?

She had felt so safe with Glinda.

Had thought Glinda was finally rescued from her foes..taken care of guarded by her..with her life..with..everything she had had.

And she would throw all of it away..

For what?

For a freedom she had never requested?

Elphaba was angry.

But more than that she was disappointed.

Bitterness rose within her throat.

What a foolish thing to do.

And now she was traipsing through the castle at night.

With foes about.

Foes impervious to magic.

To the spells she cast..

"I was worried about you." Elphaba said into the darkness.

It came out colder, with more of a scolding to it, than she had anticipated.

Her voice was still too thick with not speaking in this treacherous air.

She felt Glinda shift behind her again, hesitating for but a brief second, before turning around abruptly.

"I am not talking to you." the blonde's words were simple enough.

With them still on her lips, she took off for the bedroom,where she laid a sleeping Nessarose gently down on the bed, getting the baby settled without waking her.

"She won't sleep through,seeing as she hasn't eaten yet this evening." Glinda said to a very shocked Elphaba, before walking back over to the desk,that had originally been hers,before it was taken over by the green witch.

She rummaged in one of the drawers,finally taking out a couple of pieces of pink wax.

Anger was flashing in her eyes, as she caught Elphaba's.

True to her word, the small ruler of Oz kneaded the wax in her hands without another sound, before screwing it into perfect proportion and stuffing it first into her left,and then into her right ear.

"You are, of course welcome to talk all you want..I'll be in the bathroom." she said haughtily, before turning on her heel and rushing off to the aforementioned chamber.

Her curls bounced angrily on her shoulders and over the expanse of her back.

Elphaba was flabbergasted.

A part of her hated her.

This was what she got for caring.

A part of her remembered the snotty schoolgirl she had once met, and she huffed.

She had hated her then,too.

For good reason.

Good to know that there were at least some parts that didn't change,the green woman thought bitterly.

Copying the blonde's huff subconsciously, she went over to her desk and began to work.

In earnest now.

As usual many minutes passed, before the blonde stormed from the bathroom behind her back.

But Elphaba took no notice.

She did not protest,when Glinda shifted her pillow and blanket to the couch along with some sheets.

The green woman buried herself in her work..the silence heavy with the call of the nightbirds and the smell of summer flowers.

She did not feel the eyes of her roomate's on her neck for too long, before she was dimly aware of soft,even snores issuing forth from the corner of the bedchamber.

Only then did she relax, working out a kink in her tense back.

Elphaba chanced a glance at her friend, who admittedly, fit a lot better onto the couch than she did, and a pang of guilt and caring caught her in the stomach, as she noticed the deep dark lines underneath the blonde's unmade up eyes.

She wondered again, for the umpteenth time that day, how Glinda could have treated her own life so carelessly, when she, Elphaba Thropp, would have given her own for it in a heartbeat.


	69. Chapter 69

**A/N:First of all apologies: For the brevity of this chapter. For the long waits lately, for the lack of replies to reviews. And for the recurring theme and the utter lack of plot. Hope you don't mind,there willl be more things actually happening sometime. Whenever I manage to write something decent and coherent. Work is kind of slaying me a little these days, therefore the longer waits. Sorry about that. It will hopefully get better,when the weather gets warmer. Anyways, enjoy;-) **

Glinda groaned into her pillow, as her eyes registered the dim hints of daylight.

If anyone would have ever..ever told her,that she would wake at the crack of dawn from habit, of all things, and of her very own accord..well, she might have just slapped them silly.

Or laughed at them.

Or both.

But here it was,dawn, and she was up.

Up up.

Up and wide awake.

Even her alarm clocks were still slumbering silently over by her bed.

Which was missing a wicked witch.

The child was laying carefully covered not quite where she had put it the night before, and whimpered slightly in its innocent sleep.

But the witch was missing.

That awful, blasted..

Where was she?

Glinda's eyes took a little time adjusting.

She needed another look to make out the slumped form on her desk.

Fear immediately doused her with a shower of coldness, but her heartbeat ebbed a little as she saw the even rising and falling of the prone back.

Elphaba had simply fallen asleep over her work, on the desk.

Nothing unusual or untoward.

Everything was alright.

Hopefully.

Slapping herself inwardly for being so silly, Glinda got up swiftly to make sure,that just that was the case.

Nothing else.

She needed to check on the baby anyways, since babies did need to be checked on constantly.

Even sleeping ones.

Well, sleeping ones with bad dreams.

But her bare feet, despite herself, carried her soundlessly over to her roommate first.

Elphaba lay, her head resting on her crossed arms, her glasses askew and her undone hair flowing over the ensemble like a dark, freed river of silk.

The blonde took in a heavy breath.

The dress jacket was only partly rebuttoned after feeding the baby during the night, obviously, and probably because of the heat as well, Glinda mused, and she could not...could not for the life of her help her eyes fly over that skin.

That fabulous expanse of emerald.

"She looks so beautiful, in that light.." Glinda thought to herself.

And unbidden, certainly, unbidden, a memory sprang up upon her.

Shenshen of all people to think of in such a moment.

But Glinda had thought often of what the stuck up girl from her university days had casually said on her first day at Shiz.

It had been clear, that they would be rooming together, Elphaba and she, and Glinda had huffed and assured her friends that she would rise above it.

Above it all.

But Shenshen, in her quiet and sly way, had grinned mischievously at her, when Glinda had extrapolated on how she would cope with all eventualities.

Getting changed in the bathroom,socializing with friends, spending no free time together, eating dinner separately, turning lights out and going to sleep without a word..laundry, cleanliness..everything really.

But Shenshen, had said calmly,quietly, like the snake that she was," What about the mornings?"

"What about them?" Glinda had answered.

"I'll get up,pick my outfit, go to the bathroom,wash,change, and go to class."

"Vulnerability." her friend then, or so she had thought, had said.

"Everone is vulnerable in the mornings." with a wink she had added,"That's why it's always wise to leave during the night, girls."

Glinda of course, had only laughed, and nodded knowingly, not having a clue what Shenshen, the most experienced of them, had meant with this.

She had watched Elphie, still Elphaba then, or rather "The Artichoke", pad around their room in the mornings sometimes, feigning sleep, while the green girl shuffled around in socks, grumbling.

Much later she had awoken during their terrible trip to the Emerald City in arms just as verdant.

And she had thought every time, how right Shenshen had been.

Beautiful, and terrible and dumb Shenshen.

She'd had a point.

The green girl, who she set out being so afraid of to find out about her vulnerability, would wake all night to guard it.

And she had done so now, Glinda realized.

The sword Elphaba had brought with her, accentuating her princely attire, lay on the desk before her, unsheathed and gleaming in the light of the very early morning.

"Of course," the Ruler of Oz thought.

Pegs had mentioned something about Animals,Free, or whatever who were impervious to magic.

Impervious to the protection spell her friend had cast upon the palace.

Something about the tall, gangly girl, she remembered, taking the only weapon available to ward off possible assassins, touched her.

Glinda sighed deeply.

Then she reached over and took the glasses off of the nose that was already beginning to bear slight indentations from them.

She made another trek, over to a chest of drawers in the far corner of the room,and got a blanket, which she carefully draped over the sleeping woman.

She wanted to button Elphaba up fully, so she would not catch a cold in this,the coldest hour of an otherwise humid and stifling day, but her hands shook over the buttons, and her stomach churned, and she decided against it.

The blonde glanced again at the approaching day beyond the window,and with her mind busy elsewhere, her hand reached out and stroked the beautiful silken hair hesitantly.

This was a bad hour,she thought to herself, a bad hour indeed, so vulnerable.

And as mad and bitter as she was with the verdant girl next to her, she chose to return her the favor of the night and remained standing by her side, until the sun had fully risen.


	70. Chapter 70

**A/N: Thanks for the lovely reviews. I hope you will enjoy this chapter as well. Btw, brief commercial announcement, I have published a little bookverse one shot as well, that you'll find on my profile,if you so wish. **

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Elphaba's fingers drummed nervously onto the great oaken table of the small conference room.

She knew when she was not wanted.

A skill that she had honed throughout the years of her youth.

And she knew when there was genuine enmity towards her.

A skill she had learned from years on the run, a revolutionary, a fugitive.

And she was neither now.

Glinda had dragged her along on her daily routine, enforcing the notion, that they were from now on, to rule together,Elphaba guessed, but she wished for the proverbial knife, to cut the tension with.

It settled upon the room like a thick blanket,suffocating her with the instinct to run..to fly away.

But Glinda kept her hand firmly entrenched with hers on the table, playing innocently with the green fingers, as a dozen elderly men in overly elegant clothes were watching.

In truth,or in disguise, they were discussing financial matters, this being the great three months meeting of the chamber of commerce, the treasury and the financial sectors of Shiz.

The meeting with "The Lady" who usually only wished to be reported to.

Requests and suggestions could be made, and Glinda, handled all of them with a sleight of hand, that Elphaba would not have guessed possible for her less than keen on economics roommate.

She'd know, cause Glinda, Galinda, then still, had spent countless hours poring over the dry subject matter.

But something caught Elphaba's attention as she was listening along, trying to distract herself from her own thoughts and terrifying paranoia.

The blonde next to her had made a request for consideration.

"The Quadlings.I wish to reinstate them as Rulers of their own lands." she sad evenly.

There was a thick silence, that for the first time in this day,didn't have anything to do with the green elephant in the room, but rather with a bunch of reddish people and moreover..a lot of rubies.

A lot.

Elphaba's eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"Mylady, do you think that is wise?With the drought and everything, the people of Oz are struggling enough from the strain of a bad economy, and with the rubies, the Emerald City,especially will lose a large part of its income.." one of the grey men sputtered, taken aback.

If Elphaba remembered correctly,he was one of the main stableowners and horsebreeders of the capital.

And probably a lot else.

But the small Ruler of Oz, knowing the power inherent in her position, only smiled beningly at him.

Elphaba stilled. She knew that smile.

It was vicious.

She couldn't help but feel sorry for the man.

"Sir,"Glinda was using her naïve small girl voice, which was meant and cultured for the sole purpose of wreaking havoc.

"Sir,"She continued ever so quietly and humbly in that voice,and Elphaba flinched.

"Those poor,poor Quadlings..hungry, without schooling, without food without proper _clothing _for Oz's sake..all while we sit in this city and feast ourselves on their precious stones...draining their lands..taking their crops, for a few, glittering blood diamonds.." she was using the Ozian pet name for rubies by intention.

And she was using it well,Elphaba had to hand it to her.

"How Sir, can we ever sleep again at night, in our soft beds,while they suffer in the swamps?"

Ah, and there it was..the punch line.

The poor man,actually none of them at the table would ever be able to sleep again in peace.

Glinda was good at this, the green girl looked around at the stately, elderly men, who shifted uneasily in their well cushioned seats.

"I am Ruler to all of Oz,I am afraid.." her eyes showed clear compassion for the unhealthily rich at the table, and she continued on.

"And as such,it is forbidden to me to ignore such misery."

No one dared to ask, why the Wizard had successfully ignored it for so many years.

Elphaba, her senses keen, noticed the sudden flare of anger in some.

It made her want to run out of the room again, but Glinda was holding so tightly to her hand now,she wondered if there was still any circulation left in it.

She soothingly stroked her thumb over the back of a white gloved hand,and,inexplicably, the woman next to her shivered briefly.

She held her stance however,before a group of very,very powerful men, who knew that they had just been ordered and didn't like it one bit.

"Excuse me, if I may.." Elphaba's voice was very quiet, but in the heavy silence,one could have heard a pin drop.

All heads swiveled towards her as one.

She felt her palms become sweaty,felt Ginda's hand squeeze hers,in reassurance.

"If I may be so bold."the green witch continued, a little more sure.

This was a good plan,a good thing, and she was going to help Glinda with it.

"Of course, such a change,reinstating a people back into their own subgovernment,especially with this wealth at their hands, will not be one done overnight." she glanced at the woman next to her.

"It is a process,making a people healthy,and a difficult task at that." again,she looked at Glinda with a smile and continued.

"Why do we not make a plan and hand their country back over to the Quadlings, bit by bit...?"

Elphaba looked at the men around her, assessing their ages.

"Say, a ten year plan?We'd have a chance to educate them enough to be fit for government,actually build the schools, and establish good and long lasting business relationships."

The men around the table looked,most of all surprised, but did not exude animosity towards her anymore.

Their fortunes safe for another decade.

They didn't look altogether content either,though.

A sudden thought sprung into her head.

Something her fath.. The Wizard had told her at the fountain.

Contentment.

Power.

Rule over others.

"We could also subdivide Quadling Country into subdistricts, where we could install ministers, responsible for their own little section. With the goal to make their own little patch of turf be able to care for itself by the time ten years have passed."

After the term, we can draw them together into one,with a central subgovernment.

She paused for a moment.

"And who should these ministers be?" a shortish, half bald Glikkun asked her.

"You." she said simply.

"The Quadlings don't need military leaders, or even political ones..they need self sufficience..and who better than an able businessman to them such?"

Elphaba's eyes sparkled with the joke,and the stable owner from the Emerald City actually smiled back at her.

"What a keen mind, Your Eminece." he used the title,shunning the personal name.

"But that is a lot of wet swamp to rule over," he laughed hoarsely.

"Our wives", he gestured to the gentlemen around him.

"Would never tolerate it."

Elphaba felt Glinda lean forward to her right to interject, but a quick, brief squeeze of the hand called her back momentarily.

The green witch grinned at what was obviously the leader of the group.

"You would not need to actually reside there," she bit her lip in amusement, he had found her out, but she had found him out,too,"as you would not be actual_ leaders_ but moreover would assume the term of Minister, tending to your land,and flock, which is best done, as we all agree," she gave the Munchkin delegate a brief smile,"From the Emerald City."

The tall horseowner crossed his arms in front of his chest and leaned back.

"So, I will spend the next ten years, the last ten years of my working life, probably, tending over a patch of mud?Why would I do such a thing?"he was challenging her.

"So you will be making sure of the security of your investments,and well...to do a good deed." she was blunt.

No reason for not being blunt.

They were all adults anyhow..some more than others...but still.

She felt Glinda squeeze her hand a little too tightly, and could sense the blonde next to her, holding her breath,her eyes hopeful.

The speaker's eyes took a brief turn over to the Lady Glinda,before he turned his attention back to Elphaba.

"Deal."

He got up to shake her hand,and marveled immediately at its softness.

"I will do it for my children, and for Oz,and my goodnight's sleep."he concluded grumpily.

Secretly, the idea was thrilling him.

He had done the same business for over 35 years, and it did not begin to tire or bore him..he was too powerful and good at what he did, but he had not always gone the straightest of ways and taken the most unencumbered of roads.

His wife had a whole box of rubies.

A necklace, earrings, bracelets..and their color constantly reminded him of blood these days.

He had been one of those "serving" the Wizard as well..and he knew.

As a boy there had been stories of Quadlings, of fabulous glass sculptures wrought by their hands, and indeed, he had one on his desk, a horse rearing in a wild and free spirit.

It caught the light of the sun marvelously,and had been salvaged out of the hands of his clumsy children more than once.

His father had given it to him, when he still was just as young and clumsy himself, and his friend then,his best friend, had laughed at the choice of subject matter.

Timothy,a Horse, whom he had grown up with, he had laughed and joked, and it was the small glass sculpture and the rubies his wife wore,that served as constant reminders of the brightness of blood that was so foreign to cobblestones, when he had found his friend, his hoofed brother, slain on the road in front of the Emerald Palace one day.

Timothy had been hidden in his wide array of stables.

A horse, a cart drawer he had been.

But also a silent, a secret revolutionary.

He hadn't know. The Wizard had allowed him to pretend he hadn't known.

Keeping his family safe from harm for his undying loyalty.

And entrusting the formerly Horse owned stables into his care,until,at last, he had the monopoly, becoming one of the wealthiest men in Oz.

The rubies had been brought back with the first batch of horses he had sent out supplying the soldiers in Quadling Country.

He had had them crafted to suit his beautiful wife.

And he had wondered how easy it had all been after all.

The Horses,the rubies, death.

The Chairman of Financial Interests of Oz had been no fool.

He knew what they did to the Quadlings.

Knew why the little statue on his desk might be worth quite a lot of money one day, when all the Quadlings and their art would have disappeared.

But he saw his wife, so beautiful, and his children, so perfect,each in his or her own way, and he found how easy it was.

The Wizard had not been unkind to him.

And it had been easy enough to forget.

But still,there remained a Horse or two, or maybe a dozen, or even more, in his employ.

Not silent, but keeping their silence.

Not living, but at least surviving.

And there was a statue on his desk, one he would not sell or put away.

And sometimes, after a little wine, after some talk at a party or another, back in the quiet and dark intimacy of the carriage, he would kiss his wife.

Kiss her neck.

And upon looking up,would see the red earrings, and they seemed like blood to him, in the lights of the streetlamps.

He would swallow then, and spend some more time doing paper work and gaining wealth in the sleepless nights.

There had been a breath he had released when the Lady Glinda had gained power.

A breath that had been released by all of them with blood too dark for them to wash off of their hands at night.

At first, he had to be honest,he had thought, that the merry airhead would simply continue the Wizard's rule.

But she had learned quickly, and grown to show intention and backbone in a way that almost made him proud of her in a fatherly way.

And rather protective.

Had the Witch not had such a great following underneath the balcony,the day before, and indeed, had the Lady not sprung her so suddenly upon them right after springing her on everyone else, he would have seen to it, that she was no more.

For protection,of course.

But there was a bright,young woman, devising solutions, that took years, and build ups instead of the violent rashness of an explosion, or yet more war.

She was shy, and uncomfortable,and yet sincere and witty.

Not one to seize power or exhibiting it to rule over them.

War was quick and easy money, but he was growing old,and he had had enough of that.

The great man of the Emerald City leaned back in his chair, catching Elphaba's eyes in a challenge.

Unsurprisingly enough,they were as green as the rest of her.

There was fear, and indeed with enough reason for it, but there also was, he noted,surprised, goodwill.

35 Years of business, he had learned to gauge his opponents.

And this was,by all means a worthy one.

Maybe she could urge the Lady Glinda to come to the Chamber of Commerce meetings more often, or maybe she would come herself.

He would rather enjoy that.

For a moment, he found himself wondering if she had worked with Timothy, if she had known him, if he should ask her, but with a sigh he decided against it.

It could have been her blood,too, on the palace steps, and a part of him admired her for it.

And another part of him was glad that she offered him absolution for it not having been his.

Ten years of penance.

What an extraordinary chance.

Green then, he thought..it was the complimentary color to red.


End file.
